WITCH: The Prince's Frozen Heart
by Madam Ionah
Summary: Why had the prince built up a wall of ice around his heart? What had gone wrong in his early life that would cause him to be so cold and cruel? Surely, no one could be born this way. A W.I.T.C.H. fanfiction about Prince Phobos growing up in Meridian. It connects to Inbetween and Cries from the Woods. Cover Image by MiKeiLo from DeviantArt. I do not own W.I.T.C.H.
1. Chapter 1

12 years ago, Weria Escanor lost her brother to the army; she was only a child and the loss of her only sibling hit her hard. The day her parents received the news of his passing, she had promised herself that she would never allow any of her children to suffer through similar pains. However, that was a promise made by a child and those rarely keep. Since then, she had gotten married, been crowned Queen of Meridian, and had her first child. Her first child was a boy she named Phobos, but that wasn't what bothered the young queen, what bothered her were the news she received from the doctor earlier that morning. Since giving birth to her son, Weria and Zaden were trying to have another for a chance to have a girl, a girl that could inherit Weria's powers and rule Meridian as traditions demanded; however, this morning she spoke with the royal doctor and received troubling news. According to the doctor, her body couldn't produce another child.

It wasn't that she was too hold or infertile, but her body wasn't strong enough to carry a child. This hit the Queen hard; since the death of her brother, the importance of tradition had been drilled into her. She understood that the people expected a girl to be born and she wanted to provide for her people. Weria felt cursed and couldn't understand why her body had failed her; why had nature made her so she would fail her kingdom? Sure, she had been given a boy and he showed a lot of promise. By the time he was 1-year old, he could speak, walk, whistle, and perform simple spells such as creating balls of light and clouds. Now that he was 5 going on 6, he could conjure entire storms inside closed rooms, jump locations if he knew where to go, and produce small portals to enter locked rooms. If she weren't bound to tradition, Weria would have been more than happy to hand the crown to her son, but she was sure that the people would not accept this. To this day, children in schools learn about the last true king of Meridian and how he had nearly destroyed all of Metamoor if it hadn't been for his wife, who then became the first Queen. All of this had happened centuries ago, but the stories are still told, and the people act as though it happened in recent history. To this day, the citizens don't speak his name.

Still, all she could give to the people was a boy and Weria didn't know what to do. Like an animal backed into a corner, she didn't know what to do and reached out to her closest cousin, Queen Seras Ero, in desperation. Her and Sears had grown-up practically as sisters and Weria knew she could confined in her; Seras always knew what to do and what to say and Weria needed that. She hadn't told Zaden about her condition and didn't know how, but she had to tell someone. As expected, the moment she sent a message to Seras, the queen packed her bags and made her way from Ero to Meridian with two children, the 6-year old Myra and the 3-year old Isabela; even though she wasn't told to bring the girls, Seras felt it best that the girls meet their cousin.

Within the hour of sending the message, Weria received the message that Seras was on her way and knew that her cousin would arrive within the day since Ero was the home of the fastest horse in all of Metamoor. Nervous about seeing her cousin for the first time in years, Weria orders a servant to bring her son to her study, which the servant did. Since giving birth to him, Weria tried to keep her distance from her son as tradition mandated.

Furthermore, this was to protect herself against the pain she would experience should he be sent to the army and die as her brother had. However, now that she knew she wouldn't have another child, she felt guilty for never treating her son as such; she had always treated him like a stranger that shared her house and blood. With the exception of his abilities, Weria knew nothing about her son. She didn't know what he liked and disliked, what his favorite color was if he preferred warm or cold days, or what his favorite book was. Did this make her a horrible mother? Was there still the chance to patch things up between her and her son?

Within minutes, there came a knock on the study door that stopped Weria's train of thought. In a firm, yet gentle voice, she turned to the door. "Come in."

To no surprise, it was her son who entered and immediately bowed before her as customs mandated. Without meeting her eye, the young prince spoke. "My Queen has sent for me?"

He spoke in such a hushed tone, that Weria found it difficult to hear him. However, she knew what he said because he said the same as anyone who she sent for. As she looked down at the child before her, she was unsure what to feel about him. She had carried that child under her heart for 9 months, but since giving birth she rarely saw her son. He had been raised the way all Meridian royal males have been raised, by a series of nannies and teachers; she didn't even share a dinner table with her son. If she were going to start treating her son the way she would treat a Meridian royal princess, how would she start?

"Prince Phobos, the castle is expecting guests from Ero; it is Queen Seras Ero and she is bringing her daughters Myra and Isabela with her. I expect you to be on your best behavior. You are representing Meridian for as long as they choose to stay. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my queen. I shall not disappoint." Responded the young prince as he kept his head down. He honored, respected, and even feared the Queen he was related to; this was the way he was raised since he could crawl, and he never questioned this. He knew that, should she please it, he could be thrown out onto the streets, so each time she summoned him to her, he felt like walking on eggshells. This was normal life for the prince.

"Good, you may be dismissed." Said the Queen with a quick and snappy nod of her head. Without a word or even looking up at his mother, the Prince nodded his head and left his mother's study to return to the library.

XXXXX

Later that same day, as expected, Queen Seras arrived at the gates of the castle; her white Wind Stallions were glistening with sweat and shaking with exhaustion from the long ride; their white hides and golden manes shone like they were studded with diamonds. The royals inside the carriage weren't faring much better, as the ride was bumpy and none of them was used to such a long and tumultuous ride. However, no journey was uncomfortable enough to keep Seras from visiting her dearest friend. Furthermore, she was aching to see Weria again and the letter was the best excuse to leave the royal duties to her husband and sister-in-law. Seras hadn't seen Weria since the young queen gave birth to Phobos; furthermore, Seras was excited to see how much her godson had grown in the past 5 years. Since she was so used to the Meridian castle and its' layout, she had grown up in it, she didn't bother to wait for a servant to take her to the royal study rooms and simply walked past the servant meant to greet her.

"Queen Seras, I was meant to greet you and your daughters, My Queen will be very cross if I fail at my duties." Said the servant in a panicked tone as he rushed after Queen Seras and her daughters, which he had difficulties with.

"I do not need a welcome committee for a castle I have grown up in for 10 years of my life. I know every nook and cranny of this place, so I know what I am doing, and I know why I am here. You are going to get me cross if you keep following me like a lost puppy." Seras replied through gritted teeth as her body still vibrated from the carriage ride and the servant was nothing more than a pesky fly to her at the time. Besides, she was faster on her own than being led by some small servant boy. Within moments of arriving at the castle, Seras stood before the study doors and knocked. Weria knew, by the sound of the heavy knocking that it was her dear friend. Furthermore, she could practically hear Seras march down the hallway the moment she arrived.

"Come-"before she could finish the command, Seras opened the door and rushed in, giving Weria a tight, rib-crushing, hug.

"Oh Weria, it has been so long. I packed my bags the moment I got your letter." She then released the young queen and waved her hand dismissively at the servant that was frozen at the door. It was clear he had never seen someone being this casual around the Queen. "Now, you go and get me my god-son, Prince Phobos, and a glass of your finest bitter-plum liquor." The servant stood frozen for another second before following Queen Sera's orders, making sure to close the door as he left. Once alone, Seras returned her attention to Weria. "I am so glad you sent that letter. I was looking for a reason to get out of the castle. Also, this gives the best opportunity to introduce you and Phobos to my girls. I have been telling them so much about this place and they have been dying to come here."

At this, Myra and Isabela step closer to Queen Weria and make a simple bow; keeping eye contact with the Queen when they did so. Both simultaneously give their most formal greeting. "We are humbled to meet you. Queen Weria Escanor." Then Myra, the oldest one, stood straight and smiled, revealing the gap in her front teeth that resembled a barndoor left ajar, "Mother has told us so much, we were excited when she said we would visit you and our cousin."

Weria tried to hide it, but her cheeks were beginning to grow red at the sight of the two beautiful princesses. She was jalousie at her friend for having two daughters while she had none. Then again, there were many things Weria was jalousie of when it came to Seras. Where Weria was petite and dainty, like a fine bone-china doll, Seras was built like a brewery horse. Her hips were wide and plump, her chest and shoulders were broad like a shelf, with bosoms like two melons, and her hair hung in perfect blond curls from her head. Seras was a battleship of a woman and it showed in the way her life turned out. Weria was always sick and weak as a child, and suffered from frequent migraines; Seras, on the other hand, was never ill or suffering from weak-spells. When Weria almost took a year to recover from having her son, Seras was back on her feet within the week and even aided Weria in giving birth a few months after Myra was born. Lastly, Seras wasn't bound to tradition like she was; Seras could say and do as she pleased. If she wanted her children to call her mother, she could. Luckily, Weria didn't have to hide her emotions for long, as soon there came a knocking from the door; it was the servant with the glass of liquor and the Prince.

When Phobos entered the room, he immediately noticed Seras and the two princesses and quickly bowed in the respective manor he was taught. "Welcome to Meridian, Queen Seras. You and your daughters are most welcomed."

"Oh, my gawd." Seras let go of Weria and rushed over to the young royal; lifting his face by the chin so she could have a closer look at him. "Look how much you have grown. I haven't seen you since you were a baby and what a handsome young lad you are." She then turned his head from side to side to get a better look at him. The Prince wasn't used to someone touching him, especially by someone who he only knew of in passing. Feeling like a deer being confronted by a lion, he froze and let the women look him over. "You look so much like your father Zaden, I just know you are going to grow up to do great things." She then turned to her daughters with a smile and waved them closer before returning her attention to the young prince. "I am sorry I hardly wrote in the years. I know I am a sad excuse of a godmother, but I brought my daughters along, so you have someone to play with. Also, this way you get the chance to meet your cousins."

Then, she let go of the prince and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders as if they were a passion project and she was a young girl presenting it to her parents. "These are my daughters Princess Myra and Princess Isabela." She then, gently, pushed her daughters closer to the prince. Myra immediately grabbed Phobos's hand and firmly shook it; clearly having inherited her mother's confidence and open nature. Isabela, on the other hand, was more reserved; though that could have come from her being so young. The small, white-haired, blue-eyed girl quietly stood beside her raven-haired, ruby eyed, sister and waved at her cousin.

"It is great to meet you!" Myra cheered as she shook his hand and smiled wide, showing the Prince her gapped front teeth. "Mom told us so much about this place and we were so excited when she said we were going to visit. Can you show us around? We have been cooped up in a bumpy carriage for almost 6 hours."

Unsure of what to do, Phobos looked at both Queen Seras and Queen Weria for guidance. This was the first time he encountered anyone around his age and so open. He usually interacted with a select group of reserved adults, so being around anyone this energetic made him feel like a fish out of water. Queen Weria, simply seeking a moment alone with her childhood friend, waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Go and show our guests around. Queen Seras and I have important things to discuss."

"Yes, my Queen." Replied the prince and guided the two young princesses out the door past the stunned servant, who was still holding the tray with the drink for Queen Seras. What the young servant just witnessed was most unorthodox; no one spoke this casual around the royals, no one addressed them by their first name, and, certainly, no one ever touched the royals. However, before the unnamed servant had another chance to think, Queen Seras waltzed on over to him, took the glass off the tray with a quick 'thank you' and closed the door so she and Weria could speak in private.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, the young princess Isabela turned her head up to face her cousin and asked. "Why do you address your mom by her title?"

**XXXXX**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE**_

**Yup, my first attempt at Frozen Heart with more OCs. Do you like short and fast chapters, or long and detailed chapters? Keep in mind, long chapters take longer to write and post. **


	2. Chapter 2

For a moment, Phobos only blinked at his young cousin. He wasn't sure what she meant by that; he had always addressed the Queen this way. He had been brought up from an early age to be polite and follow royal etiquette to the letter. Didn't all royals follow these manners? Sensing that the mood had shifted, Myra stepped in between her sister and her cousin with a beaming smile. "Never mind Isabela, she asks these questions all the time. Do you have any gardens or game rooms we could go to?"

"We can go to the garden while the sun is still high." Replied the Prince as Isabela's question ricocheted through his skull like a rough bullet. Even when Myra nudged him to lead them to the garden, the question remained in the back of his head like a shadow.

Outside in the castle garden, the girls stared in awe at the sight of so many different plants, flowers, and trees. Isabela clapped her hands in excitement when she saw the large, white marble, three-tiered, fountain near the center of the garden. Despite being royalty themselves, their castle and surrounding grounds weren't as lavish as this one; with the cold climate of Ero, it was difficult enough to keep simple roses alive, let alone the multitude they were presented with. With stars in her eyes and a smile on her lips, Myra turned to her cousin and said. "You are so lucky! I have never seen so many flowers before in my life!"

"Roses!" cheered Isabela and clapped her hands when she spotted a row of rose-bushes adorned with deep red roses in various sizes. Despite their rarity, or perhaps because of it, of their presence in Ero roses were Isabela's favorite flower. She favored every part of it, from the five-petaled leaves to the thorns, to the smell of the flower; she liked pulling the thorns from the flower's stem and prick berries with them to use the berries juices as a lip tint. With a skip in her step, Isabela walked over to her favorite flowers and began to touch their soft petals. Phobos only stared at his two cousin's in confusion; he had grown up with this garden all his life and had never known different. Furthermore, he disliked the rose-bushes and never understood why his mother kept them around. All those flowers did were look pretty and offer food for the bees. They couldn't be picked or touched without drawing blood. However, he could see the joy in his cousin's faces and didn't want to dampen the mood, so he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so."

Still smiling, having forgotten her sister for the moment, Myra asked her cousin. "So, what do you like to play? Do you have any toys, or do you prefer to climb trees? My father had a small house built in our tree for Isabela and I. We play in there all the time. We have a bookshelf and a box with dolls in it. Do you have anything like that?"

"Umm, no, I don't." Phobos looked at Myra in confusion. He hadn't played since he was a toddler; he was a prince and a prince didn't waste their time with such useless things. He spent his day reading the history of Meridian, practicing linguistics, practicing the art of sword fighting, and refining his writing skills, refining his magical abilities, and working on his understanding of Meridian's social and economic structures. With all these things to occupy his day, he didn't have the time for play; the most he did was read a few pages of a fictional novel he kept in his room before bed each night. That is if he had the energy to do so; of a 300-page book, he had only read 10 pages.

"What do you mean?" Myra asked with a raised eyebrow, unsure if she heard him right.

"I don't play. I don't have the time for that." At this Myra stared at her cousin as if he had sprouted a second head on his shoulders. He was only a month younger than her and she always found time to play. With a furrowed brow and a hint of concern in her voice, Myra asked.

"The what do you do all day?"

"I am occupied with my studies," Phobos replied and began to get unnerved by the look his cousin was giving him. Didn't all royals spend their days as he did?

"So, you don't play, at all?" she asked to make sure she understood him correctly.

"No, I don't."

"That sounds pathetic." Myra knew this wasn't a tactful or polite thing to say, but she couldn't stop the words from flying out of her mouth like scared pigeons. She got that from her mother; Queen Seras never held back her thoughts on anyone, she only had a more tactful way to express them. Luckily, Phobos didn't seem hurt, but simply confused at what she had said.

"Pathetic?" Phobos furrowed his brow, unable to understand what his cousin meant by this.

"Yeah, pathetic. I have studies too, but I always make time to play with my sister. Are you that poorly organized that you can't fit in a single hour of play?" she was certain his lack of free-time came from a personal issue regarding time management.

"No, I study all day." He said in an attempt to defend himself. "I wake up early every morning at 5 and the first thing I do is study history for three hours. Then I have mathematics and sword fighting practice until noon, after a quick lunch I have economics followed by linguistics, then there is a lesson of literature. After all that, I practice my magic before having dinner and heading to bed. I have this every day, so I don't have the time to play."

"That is crazy. A kid can't study all day with no play. If you keep that up you will lose your mind." Myra said in a chipper tone as if reciting a quote from her favorite book. She then gave the garden one more look around, "So, you don't have any toys at all?"

"No, I don't have the time for toys." At her cousin's response, the young princess's shoulders dropped. Myra hadn't brought any of her own since she thought her cousin would have plenty, considering his kingdom was the richest in the world; now, she wished she had at the very least brought her favorite doll. However, she had learned to improvise, and, with a casual shrug of her petite shoulder, she walked over to the row of rosebushes. There she observed the assumable of stones, rocks, and pebbles before picking up a red sandstone; with a smile on her lips, Myra returned to the stone walkway where she and Phobos had stood.

"Well, if you don't have any toys, then we are going to have to improvise." She said while presenting her find to her cousin. Phobos only stared at Myra in confusion; however, she didn't have much time to think about his cousin's mental state before she knelt down and began to use the brittle stone like chalk to draw connected squares on the ground. Shocked, Phobos stepped back from Myra with his mouth agape. She was defiling Meridian property! This walkway had existed in pristine condition for hundreds of years; it had survived great storms and battles; the most important people in Metamoor history had walked this path, yet here she was drawing on it as if it were the same ground commoners walked on. He would have never dreamt of doing something like this.

"What are you doing?" he gasped, unable to make himself move to stop her.

"Preparing a game of hopscotch." Replied Myra as if she had been asked her favorite color. After two minutes, her handiwork was done and before the two, young, royals lay a simple 12-square layout. "It is an easy game. All you do is toss the stone to the end of the cross and then hop from square to square on one foot to retrieve it. If you stumble, you lose."

Before Phobos could say anything in response, Myra tosses the stone she had used to draw the pattern as far as she could; it landed just past the final square. Holding the front of her skirt to keep from tripping over it, Myra hopped on one foot to the end where she stooped down to pick up the stone before hopping back to her cousin where she offered it to him. "Now it is your turn."

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" he asked, still shocked at his cousin's actions.

"Yeah, I had my turn at hopscotch. Now, it is your turn." Myra replied with a smile, still holding the stone out for Phobos to take.

"This pathway is ancient and is swept by a servant each morning and evening!" Phobos finally found his voice and shrieked at his cousin in his young, childish voice.

"So? It is going to wash away when it rains. Besides, it is just a walkway." Myra replied and took her cousin's hand to place the stone in it. "Now take your turn. You saw how I did it, so give it your best shot."

Phobos only stared between Myra and the stone in his hand, unsure of what to do. She had a point, it was just a walkway, but it was a historically significant one. However, he brought up to this it discourteous to deny a guest's request. Still unsure, of the whole situation, he gently tossed the stone and it landed near the middle of the playing field; if Myra was correct, then the markings could be washed away with water. Just like he had seen Myra do it, he hopped on one foot to the stone, stooped to pick up the stone, and returned without stumbling. When he reached the end, Myra clapped her hands and jumped in place cheering for her cousin. "I knew you could do it!"

The young prince couldn't help but smile at his cousin's cheers; it made him feel like he had accomplished something. With a smile he rarely wore, he handed the stone back to Myra, who took it and tossed it; this time it landed further to the left of the middle square. The two played like this for a while, each round Phobos managed to toss the stone a little further.

Isabela kept herself busy inspecting the roses.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, back in Weria's private study, the Queen let out a sigh of relief to finally be alone with her best friend and sat down at her desk; feeling the weight of her inner turmoil on her chest. Seras, having finished her bitter-plum liquor within three gulps, turned her full attention to her friend; sitting down beside her friend, she placed a comforting hand on Weria's shoulder and asked. "What is the matter?"

"It is terrible." Replied Weria close to tears. "I spoke with the doctor this morning."

"What did he say? Are you sick?" panic hung in the edge of Seras's voice and she moved closer to her old friend.

"I might as well be. I have been informed that I won't be able to have a second child." At this, a few stray tears managed to escape Weria's otherwise controlled eyes. Seras gently placed a comforting arm around her friend's shoulder and gave her a soft hug.

"Oh, my dear I am so sorry to hear that." Seras's voice was low and soothing, it was the exact thing Weria needed at the moment. In the grind that was her daily work and the shocking news, her friend's soft and caring words were like a gentle breeze.

"What am I to do? Zadan and I were trying for a girl so the people would have a Queen when I am gone. What am I to do now that the people won't receive their queen?" Weria's voice was now close to sobbing and she held her head in her hands. Her main purpose in life had been taken from her by a cruel twist in nature.

"Oh, my dear friend." Seras started, her voice still low and soft. She had two emotional daughters and a husband scared by war; if there was one thing Seras knew, it was to comfort someone. "Everything is going to be alright. You have a son- "

"Phobos can't be king. Meridian hasn't had a ruling king in years!" Weria's head shot up in shock at what her friend suggested.

"The people hadn't seen a solar eclipse in years, but there is still the possibility that they would witness such a thing in their lives. Besides, there have been ruling kings in the past-"

"The people would never accept Phobos as a king. They would never accept a king in the first place." Weria interrupted Seras as if she were a tired teacher confronted by a stubborn student.

"The people accepted King Rothbarh III." Seras tried to reason with Weria, but the young queen would have none of it.

"King Rothbarh III caused the kingdom's economy to stagnate and our market still suffers from his regulations." Weria snapped back.

"He managed to wager peace between Meridian and Gaia, as well as establish a free education system for the people. Of the six kingdoms in Metarmoor, Meridian is the most educated." Countered Seras, but Weria had a reply to that as well.

"A farm doesn't need a hundred farmers. Now that everyone has some form of education, none want to lower themselves to performing minuscule labor."

"Now you are being ridiculous. How is any ruler supposed to control the minds of their subjects without taking away their freedoms?" replied Seras and held Weria by the shoulders so she could look her friend in the eyes. "You know your son is more than qualified to be king. If you can't have any more children, then you are going to have to rely on him to continue the royal lineage. It has been done in the past, so we know it can work."

"But what if people are reminded of King Óró when they see my son on the throne?" Queen Weria had a point. Not only did Phobos share some physical resemblance to the long dead, mad, king but he also was born in the same month that Óró was said to have died. Simply by the alignment of the stars, the cards were stacked against the boy. However, Seras was never one to believe in such superstitions. To her, the Phobos was born in the same month as the mad king died was a simple coincidence; many children were born that month; and that he bore a slight resemblance was only natural as they were related.

"King Óró has been dead for over an epoch and the only reason people remember him is through legends that we aren't even sure if they are true." She then leaned her friend against her chest; holding her like she would one of her daughters and gently rubbed her back. In a soft and soothing voice, she continued. "You are frazzled now but give it a moment of thought; he is your only hope to continue the lineage."


	3. Chapter 3

Weria had to agree with her friend about her nerves. She hadn't been able to keep her thoughts in order since receiving the news to the point where she had neglected both breakfast and lunch. Furthermore, all her worries had given her a migraine and now, she felt like a small sun was exploding behind her eyes. She felt exhausted both physically and mentally. Right now, she was more than thankful for Seras's presence. This battleship of a woman could take anything life threw at her. Sitting like this, with her head resting against her friend's chest like a sad child, Weria remembered all the times Seras was there for her. She was there for her when her brother died, she was there when she married Zaden, and she was there when Weria had given birth to her son; never once did Seras complain or ask for compensation. She wondered how she deserved such a friend in her life.

"What should I tell Zadan?" Weria asked after a moment of silence between the two Queens. "We were trying for a second child."

"We simply won't tell him for a while. If he becomes suspicious, we can always claim that you are ill. We can keep this up for another 6 years until your son is eligible for the throne. What can he say by then? Besides, you are the primary ruler of Meridian, not Zadan and not the people." Replied Seras as if answering what she would like for breakfast. She then noticed the weight of her friend and gently pushed her at arm's length. "Now, you have been through a lot today. How about you lay down on the long chair and I'll ask a servant to get you something light before you make yourself sick."

Weria simply nodded her head without protest and let the Eroian Queen lead her to the plump, purple, long chair that she had in her study. Her head hurt, her chest felt light as air, and her knees felt like they were made of willow branches. With her head resting on a plump golden pillow, Weria thought about what Seras had said and considered the possibilities of Phobos becoming King. It was true if she couldn't have another child, he was her only chance at continuing the lineage. Furthermore, she only had six years and a week left to educate her son about the duties of a ruler; now he was learning the duties of a royal, but there was more than just the history and the edicate. There was the character and of this, Weria knew nothing of her son. She didn't know if he was a jealous or humble person, if he was vengeful or remorseful, of all these things she knew nothing.

She didn't even know her son's favorite color.

XXXXX

Outside, the two young royals took their turns playing hopscotch and Phobos was actually enjoying himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. It didn't compare to the sword fighting practice or the magic lessons. Sure, there was nothing to learn and nothing to earn from this experience, but the Prince didn't care; all that mattered was that he threw the stone and retrieved it so Myra could take her turn. After a while of taking turns, Phobos looked over at the row of rose bushes and noted that Isabela was still busying herself with the flowers. This Phobos couldn't understand. Here he and Myra were having fun and she was just fondling the prickly flowers. He was sure he had never seen anyone this infatuated with a simple plant. When Myra returned from her turn and was about to have Phobos the stone for his, he leaned closer to her and whispered. "Why is Isabela so gripped with the roses?"

"They don't really grow in Ero and, if they do, they don't really have a smell. The climate is simply too cold for roses to grow properly." Replied Myra as if this question was given to her frequently and held the rock out for Phobos to take.

"Still, here we are having fun and she is just messing with the roses. Isn't she afraid that she'll get pricked by the thorns?"

"By the way you are talking about the plant, I venture to guess that you don't like roses." Quipped Myra with a smile; she was practicing reading people and was sure she hit the mark.

"Ture, I don't like them." Replied Phobos and Myra was happy that she was right. "They only look pretty but that is it. Their scent is dull and there is no way to hold them without getting pricked. Every time I try to touch them I end up with a bleeding finger. Why do roses need thorns anyway?"

"Duh, roses have thrones to protect themselves and their lovely bloom. Everything that is lovely is worth protecting." Replied Myra and placed the rock in Phobos's hand, tired of waiting for him to take his turn. "Now take your turn, I am getting impatient."

As Phobos tossed the stone for his turn, the new Royal Record Keeper walked past the three children on his way to the archives. Fan was new to the Meridian court, thanking his father for the position, and tried his best to follow each and every rule he could remember in his 13-year old mind. Naturally, when he saw the markings on the ancient marble walkway, the blond-haired, blue-eyed, recorder was appalled. Surely the Prince would know better than to defile the ground his ancestors have walked on. Furthermore, who were the two young children encouraging him? He could tell by their garb that they were royals of some kind but couldn't remember ever seeing them. This, however, didn't matter; with his blood near boiling point, he stormed up to the group of children and placed his fists on his hips like an angered parent. With a voice that reflected his mood, he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

The giggling children immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at the official in surprise and fear. To them, he had appeared out of nowhere. With a slight shiver in his voice, the young prince pipped up. "We were playing hopscotch."

"Hopscotch?" Fan's teenage voice cracked as he spoke the word. He wasn't sure if he could believe his ears. The Prince had an image to uphold, how could he let himself stoop so low as to play a commoner's game? "Hopscotch is a commoner's game and not meant for royals. Furthermore, your highness has sullied the garden's pathway in the process!"

"It is just some red sandstone chalk." Said Myra in defense and held up the remnants of the stone for Fan to see. "See? It will be gone by the next rain."

Fan blinked and shook his head when the little princess held the stone up to his face. He still couldn't believe that anyone had the audacity to defend such idiotic actions and, with a clear image of disgust on his face, he smacked the dirty stone from the royal's hand and grabbed hold of both Phobos and Myra by their shoulders. He had younger brothers and knew exactly how to treat them when they misbehaved; he would take these two young royals to the Queen, or the King if he found him first. Isabela, noticing that her sister and cousin were being dragged off, abandoned the roses and followed the Record Keeper like a lost puppy.

Phobos, unlike Myra, was anxious about what might happen now. He had rarely ever gotten into trouble and Myra had assured him that everything would be fine. She had told him that nothing would be ruined, and he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong; it was just a game. However, he had to have done something wrong to earn such a reaction from an official. As Fan lead the royal children through the castle hallways to the Queen's study, the young prince's heart raced, not only because he had to take two steps for each of Fan's strides, but because he feared what the Queen's reaction would be if she discovered his mistake. Then again, it wasn't fully his doing, Myra encouraged him; however, that excuse wouldn't hold before the Queen. Myra was just a guest and it was his responsibility to keep her and Isabela out of trouble. This he had clearly failed.

All too soon, the group reached the Queen's private study and Phobos felt like crawling into a hole and hiding for the rest of eternity. His heart nearly stopped when Fan's heavy, angered, knocks echoed off the hallway walls.

XXXXX

Inside the study, Seras looked up from talking with her friend; she had ordered a servant to bring some lightly salted toast and juice to pick up her energy and settle her stomach. Without leaving her friend's side or letting go of her hand, Seras ordered whoever was on the other side of the door to enter, expecting the ordered meal. What she didn't expect to see was some pompously dressed boy dragging in her daughter and Prince Phobos like they were a pare of filthy street urchins, with Isabela following close behind.

Fan stopped when he entered the room and found some finely dressed woman comforting the Queen. He knew the Queen often suffered weak spells, but she usually retreated to her private chambers when this happened and she, certainly, never entertained guests when weakness struck her. Weria, despite her headache, propped her head up when the door opened and shared in Seras's confused expression at the sight before her. However, unlike the Eroian Queen, Weria quickly found her words. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Your Highness Queen Weria, I found Prince Phobos and this child," he lightly shook Myra's shoulder to indicate her, "in the royal gardens besmirching the ancient walkway with red sandstone." Phobos was about to open his mouth to explain his side of the events when Myra beat him to it.

"We weren't doing anything like that!" Myra snapped back at Fan and tried to wrangle herself free from his iron grip before looking pleadingly at her mother. "I was only showing Phobos how to play hopscotch. He said he doesn't play games and I got bored!"

"The Prince has better things to do than play games with someone the likes of you!" boomed Fan and tightened his grip on the young girl to the point his nails were nearly digging into her flesh. Seeing this, Queen Seras stood from her seat, towering over the young Record Keeper and glared down at him.

"Is this how you were raised to treat the Eroian crown?" her voice was cold and steady. Fan froze in place and his hand released the young Princess immediately while still holding onto the Prince with a death-grip. All color drained from the young man's face, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, and he had an expression on his face as if he was about to lay a melon-sized egg. He had heard that a queen from a neighboring kingdom was visiting, but he didn't expect this queen to bring her children along. Furthermore, the princess wasn't dressed like one; sure, the children were dressed as proper royals, but their clothing was simple, monotoned dresses with matching headpiece, but the crown never worse such simple cloths. In Meridian, the clothing was elaborately embroidered with gold and silver and studded with jewels. Even when traveling, the Meridian Crown was dressed in their finest, so he thought, when he saw the children playing with the Prince, that they were the offspring of some lower royals; perhaps a Baron's daughter at the highest.

Myra took less than a second to cross the room and wrap her arms around her mother, pretending to be frightened and Isabela did the same. This official had ruined their game and attempted to get them into trouble. They were going to bring him hell for it. Furthermore, they had a cousin to protect. Phobos had warned Myra about drawing on the walkway and she had ignored it; back in Ero, she drew on all surfaces with chalk and no one ever chastised her for it, she thought Meridian would be the same. Pretending to be close to tears, Myra buried her face in her mother's stomach. "Phobos said he didn't have any toys, so I used a piece of sandstone to mark a playing field for hopscotch. He didn't want me to do it, but I thought it was going to be okay. Red sandstone always washes off in the rain. Please don't be angry mommy!"

"Please don't be angry mommy." Echoed Isabela and mimicked her sister's actions in burying her face in her mother's side. Seras, knowing her children were overacting but deciding to play along with them to teach the Record Keeper a lesson, simply patted her children on the back in a comforting way and shot the teenager a deathly glare. Fan was near fainting.

Weria, having had enough of the ongoing commotion, sat up in the long chair as though it were the throne and put on her best neutral expression despite the pain shooting through her head and spoke in the calmest voice she could muster. "Court Record Keeper Fan Tyndall apologize to Queen Seras Ero and her children at once. You may then be dismissed. You are new to the job and this is your first offense. Don't let it happen again."

Fan immediately let go of the Prince and dropped down to his knees jabbering out an apology so fast that his words ran together. Before Seras could even say that she accepted the apology, the young teen, unceremoniously, ran out of the room feeling as though he had nearly escaped certain death. Once the matter of the official was settled, Queen Weria turned her attention to her son and frowned a little. "Prince Phobos Escanor I am disappointed in you; you know better than to let a royal guest get themselves into trouble. You are excused to your room and only your room until your lessons in the morning. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my Queen. I am sorry my Queen." Replied Phobos, his eyes fixed to the floor in shame and embarrassment. Without another word to anyone, the young prince turned and left the room, heading for his own with tears welling at the corner of his eyes. He had never meant to disappoint the Queen.

Myra, confused, looked up at her mother and then at Queen Weria. "Phobos didn't do anything wrong." She began to plead, but her mother stopped her.

"Myra, this isn't Ero. I told you before we left that things are different in Meridian and I hoped that when told not to, that you wouldn't do things like this."

"But we were just playing." Again, Myra tried to explain, but her mother simply smiled and shook her head.

"I understand and I am not angry with you or Phobos. This is simply a misunderstanding. However, I want you to know that Phobos, as a Meridian prince, has other rules to follow than you do in Ero. I will explain it better in the morning after you and your sister have rested a bit. Until then, I want you to take Isabela back to the garden and enjoy the rest of the evening. I'll have a servant take you to your rooms at bedtime." With that, Seras gently patted her eldest daughter on the back and ushered the two girls out of the room. The Eroian Queen had a few choice questions for her old friend and didn't want her children's innocent ears to hear. Once the door closed behind her youngest, Seras turned to face her friend with her hands on her hips, giving her the appearance of an annoyed butcher's daughter. "What the Hel was that about?"

"What do you mean?" asked Weria as she lay back down. "Don't worry about the markings on the walkway. I'll have a servant take care of them."

"That is not what I meant." Seras snapped back and approached her friend, still fuming. "Why did you punish your son? You and I use to do these things all the time and never got into trouble."

"We also either ruined or destroyed ancient heirlooms in the process. I was hoping to raise my son in a way that would spare some of the priceless artifacts." Replied Weria with her eyes closed, hoping Seras would drop the subject. It was true, she and Seras would do all sorts of things that ended up ruining Meridian heritage. The worst the girls have ever done was then Weria discovered the power to use fire and accidentally set fire to a set of 100-year old curtains that were a gift from the kingdom of Gaia.

"Red sandstone on marble can be washed away with warm soapy water, a hard bristle brush, and some elbow grease." Countered Seras and sat down on the edge of the long chair. "Sending him to his room was a little harsh for a first offense. You could have just given him a warning. You wrote to me how well-behaved of a student and child he is; surely you have to agree that he did deserve this treatment." At this, Weria had to agree with her friend. Perhaps she has a little too harsh on her son and it was his first offense; furthermore, it was a minor offense. With a sigh, she gave her friend a promise.

"Starting next week when he turns 6, I'll try to be a better mother."

XXXXX

In his room, the Prince stood at the window that faced the garden and watched as his cousins returned to the row of rose bushes; it was clear to him that they weren't punished in the slightest. He wasn't sure what, exactly, he had done wrong. He saw a servant with a bucket of soapy water busying themselves at scrubbing the hopscotch field away; just as Myra had said, it was removed relatively easy. As he silently stood there, watching the first game he had ever played being washed away, he couldn't help but let a few stray tears run down his cheeks, was it that wrong that he played a simple game with his cousins? They played games like this all the time. Why couldn't he?


	4. Chapter 4

6 days after the incident in the garden, the young Prince Phobos awoke with the strange feeling that something important was coming up. He didn't understand why or what was important, he was sure a servant or teacher would remind him, but he knew this would bother him throughout the day. Furthermore, he missed his cousins. Though he had only met them once and spent a total of 3 hours together, he enjoyed their company and wanted to see them again; he wasn't sure how long they and Queen Seras would be visiting Meridian and part of him worried that they would return to Ero before he had another moment to speak with them. The past 6 days were miserable compared the time before he met the princesses. He knew little to nothing about them, but they were pleasant to be around. Unlike the adults in his life, Myra and Isabela didn't expect excellence from him; if anything, he was sure Myra thought of him as a dullard. Perhaps it was abnormal, but he enjoyed hearing a different viewpoint about him.

He wasn't sure how to approach the subject of seeing his cousins with anyone. He was sure he couldn't approach the Queen; she was suffering from a string of migraines and had retreated from the world. He couldn't approach the King since King Zadan just returned from a visit in Morovia to congratulate the King and Queen of that kingdom on the birth of their son Prince Orlan. He couldn't go to his teacher, Lord Xavier since he had nothing to do with the incident and wouldn't know a thing about it. The only person left whom he could ask was Queen Seras and he feared to approach her; after all, it was her daughters he had gotten into trouble. Then again, she didn't strike him as the type to hold a grudge. While sitting in the library during study hour, he decided to gather his courage and approach the Eroian Queen. He knew she took a brief walk every other hour to stretch her legs; he had noticed her talk the halls frequently. Furthermore, since his teacher trusted him, he could easily sneak out and attempt contact with the Queen and then return before his absence was noticed.

Carefully, he looked over his shoulder to ensure he was the only person in the library, Lord Xavier had ha habit that forced him to seek open-air frequently, before marking his place in the Metamoor Geography book and sneaking out of the library as quietly as a mouse. When he entered the castle's echoing hallways, the Prince's young heart began to race like a wild horse; he had never gone against any rules he had been given. Furthermore, he had never skipped out on a single lesson in his life and there was no guarantee that his half-thought-out plan would work. As he wondered the hallways, heading in the direction of the Queen's private study, part of him wondered if he should return to his studies and attempt to contact his cousins tomorrow; however, his legs wouldn't obey his mind and he kept walking down the bright hallways that were illuminated by the stained glass windows. Despite rarely visiting the study, he knew which paths to take and soon the multi-colored windows changed from the images of roses and wild iris to those of purple tulips, which were his mother's favorite. The closer he came to the study, the more he told himself that, if he didn't come across Queen Seras, that he would return to the library in the hopes that his absence wasn't noticed.

Just as he was about to give up and return to the library, he rounded the corner and came face to abdomen with Queen Seras; she was a tall woman and he barely reached the bottom of her ribcage. Surprised, he jumped back and straightened his posture as he was taught.

"Well, hello Prince Phobos. How are we today?" asked the Queen with a gentle smile on her face. She, just like the Prince, had hoped to speak with him once during her stay in Meridian. Furthermore, she had hoped to speak with him without the presence of her friend Weria.

"We are doing fine. However, I wished to speak with you in regards to my cousins, the Princesses Myra and Isabela- "

"You wish to see them again, don't you?" said Seras, finishing his thoughts before he could voice them.

"True, it would be nice to meet with them again, but more specifically, I wish to apologize for my actions six days ago. I let myself get distracted- "

"Accidents happen child. The main point is that no one was hurt, and nothing was ruined. There is nothing you need to apologize to me or my daughters about. Myra and Isabela to wish to meet with you again as well. They were so excited to come to Meridian and meet their extended family; now that they are here, they would like to see more than just Meridian's Queen." When the Prince heard that his cousins were thinking of him as much as he was thinking of them. When Queen Seras saw how the young prince lightened up, she became curious as to the Prince's daily ongoings and wondered who he had to share it with, since she knew he rarely saw his own mother. "Is there another reason you wish to see my daughters other than you enjoyed their company?"

"Well.." this question caught him off guard, all he had expected was to apologize to Queen Seras and then be allowed to see Myra and Isabela again.

"Don't you have anyone else to spend your time with?" Asked the Queen, now positive about her theory that the young Prince was a lonely child. As expected, the Prince quietly shook his head. Seras had expected that answer, but it still felt wrong to have her theory validated. Sure, her and Weria were along most of their early childhood, but at least they had each other. She had hoped Weria remembered that. With a heavy sigh, Seras smiled down at the child standing before her and shook her head at the whole situation. Then she knelt down to be at eye-level with Phobos, which surprised the young royal as no one had ever done this before; naturally, he took a small step back. Sensing the Prince's confusion and surprise of her actions, she spoke in a calm and soothing voice that she usually reserved for her friend Weria. "Listen, I can't guarantee that you can see Myra and Isabela today, they are preparing something for tomorrow. But I promise that you can see them first thing in the morning."

Phobos couldn't believe his luck; he did it, he was allowed to see his cousins again. Now all he had to do was return to the library before his absence was noticed. However, his hopes on the last part were quickly crushed when he heard familiar footfalls approaching from behind; he had heard them pacing behind him for years. They were soft, yet audible and with purpose; they were those of his teacher, Lord Xavier.

"Prince Phobos, is there a reason you are missing from the Library?" Asked the Lord, not noticing Queen Seras as she stood just out of view from the corridor. He was, again, in trouble and Phobos knew it. He wondered how he managed that feat twice in less than two weeks. Seras quietly chuckled to herself and peeked around the corner to and giving the Lord a gentle wave; the way the Prince reacted to being caught in trouble reminded her of her own daughters. His back would stiffen, his cheeks would flush red, and his hands would tremble; just like her daughters. Also, just like the Prince and her daughters, Lord Xavier froze in place when he saw the Queen.

"Oh, hello Lord Xavier. I apologize for borrowing the Prince from your teachings, but I had to speak with him about tomorrow's matters. I am sure you can find it in your heart to forgive me." Said the Queen, flashing the Lord her sweetest smile.

"Of course, take as much time to speak with the Prince as you wish Queen Seras. I am only tasked to teach him and keep an eye on him during his studies- "

"Oh, I can imagine your worries when you returned from your break and found the Prince missing, but I had all intentions on returning him before he would be missed." Again, Seras flashed the Lord a sweet smile, knowing she had him in an emotional chokehold. Phobos was more and more surprised by the actions of this foreign Queen. He had never heard anyone tell a lie within the castle walls and he was brought up to always tell the truth, but here was Queen Seras, obviously lying to Lord Xavier. Furthermore, she was doing for his benefit and he was a mere stranger to her. Then again, he was denying her word; they were keeping him out of trouble. With a warm smile, she turned her attention back to the young prince. "I thank thee for the abrupt meeting. Now that the matters of tomorrow are settled, please return to the library and continue thy studies."

The Prince only nodded his head and rushed off in the direction of the library and the Lord quickly followed suit. Seras returned to the study.

XXXXX

In the study, Weria was sitting on the long chair, waiting for her friend to return. She knew Seras had a bad knee that required frequent movement, it was caused by a horseback riding accident, but she still hated the moments she was left alone. They made her feel vulnerable. In addition, her husband Zaden had just returned from his trip to Morovia and she hadn't thought of a way to break the bitter news to him. She loved her husband and she knew he loved her, but they had always planned on producing a female heir. Just like Weria, Zaden was brought up to uphold traditions and now that they couldn't, she wondered how he would take it. Luckily, before she could worry too much over the things she couldn't control, Seras returned to the study.

"Thank the Gods you are back." Sighed Weria heavily, "Tell me, how do I tell my husband about my condition?"

"Just tell him." Was Seras casual response.

"I can't just tell him that the woman he married can't uphold traditions because of a mistake by nature!"

"Sure, you can." Replied Seras and sat on the longhair beside her friend. "Zaden is a good man with a level head. I am sure he will understand that nature simply didn't intend for you two to have a daughter."

"What if he is heartbroken?"

"Then he is heartbroken, there is nothing you can do about that. If anything, he should be worried about you, since it is your body he sleeps next to." At her friend's words, Weria's cheeks turned a bright strawberry red. Seras had always been open about such things. Seeing her friend's discomfort, Seras chose to change the subject to more vital matters. "I spoke with your son a moment ago."

Weria furrowed her brows and looked at the old grandfather clock. "Isn't he supposed to be studying now?"

"You and I use to sneak out of lessons all the time, so don't think that apple fell far from the tree."

"You mean you used to sneak out of lessons and dragged me with you." Countered Weria, which earned her a hearty laugh from Seras.

"Ture, but you never complained." Chuckled the Queen and lightly elbowed her friend. Weria kept her arms crossed.

"So, what did the Prince have to say?"

"Oh, he just apologized about what happened six days ago. I told him not to worry about it since nothing really happened. However, I have some concerns."

"What are your concerns?"

"Well, who does your son associate with on a regular basis?"

"Lord Xavier, His governess Mrs. Cúram, King Zaden, and I. Why do you ask?"

"No one else? Aren't there any children he talks to?" Asked Seras. She had fully believed the Prince when he answered her question, but part of her still wished it weren't true.

"What other children should he associate with? He is busy with all his studies and training. He has recently discovered how to conjure rainstorms within closed spaces and still needs to learn how to control those powers. If anything, he is more of a hazard around others his age at the time."

"My youngest has the ice powers and I let her around Myra as well as other children. All it requires is a little more supervision, which I am positive you can provide if I am able to do the same in a much smaller kingdom." Countered Seras before Weria could come up with any more excuses.

"Isn't the Prince currently associated with Princess Myra and Isabella?"

"They are only visiting. I am talking about a daily basis. You and I grew up together, so we always had each other. However, your son is an only child. If anything, having other children around his age to play with will be to his benefit. How can he be a good king if he doesn't know how to talk with people his equal?" As always, Seras had a point.

"Well, unlike you I can't just ask a child from the kingdom to become his friend."

"Aren't there any officials with a child around your son's age?" asked Seras. As always, Weria was trying to find excuses.

"Well, I know Lord Xavier has a son. However, you can't expect- "

"Yes, I can." Interrupted Seras and looked her friend in the eyes. "Weria, I can't stay here forever and when I leave I am taking my daughters with me. It is important that he starts meeting people his age now before it is too late for him to acclimate interacting with others."

"Fine. I'll have a talk with Lord Xavier and ask him to provide his son as a companion for Prince Phobos."

"How about you speak with him this evening before he leaves for home since it is your son's birthday tomorrow."

"It is already tomorrow?" asked Weira, a little shocked how time flew by.

"Technically, it is in 12 hours."

XXXXX

For a full week, Phobos hadn't seen his cousins in person. He had been kept busy with his lectures, practices, and readings. The only times he saw them was when he managed to find the time to look out of his window to see them perusing the garden; Isabela always returned to the rose bushes. He was sure his isolation from was punishment for letting Myra and Isabela get into trouble with Record Keeper Fan, however, keeping him isolated for this long felt wrong. As Queen Seras had said: "Accidents happen," Furthermore, no one was hurt, no one's reputation was tarnished, and the marble pathway was undamaged, so isolating him for an entire week felt harsh. Additionally, the same nagging feeling he had been plagued with the previous day was bothering him today; he couldn't put his finger on what it was. It was something more than seeing his cousins again, but what could be more important than seeing his cousins again?

Oh well, the thought, if it is this important, surely someone would remind me. He thought as he sat at his desk and worked on an essay about Meridian's current social climate. His only hope was that Queen Seras kept her promise that he would see the two princesses before the day was up.

Just then, the doors to his room opened and Myra peeked in, he hadn't seen her yet today and it was nearly lunchtime. "Hello Phobos, how have you been?"

Despite it having been a week since the incident, Myra still felt awful that he was being punished while she and Isabela could go about the castle as she wished. From underneath Myra, Isabela peeked her head into the Prince's room and shot her cousin the brightest smile a 3-year old could manage. Before Myra could stop her, the young princess squeezed through the cracked door and rushed her cousin; embracing him in a tight hug. The young girl, despite having understood little of the incident, knew her cousin was being punished and it bothered her.

"Cousin are you okay?" she asked as she looked up at him. "We want to wish you a happy birthday."

It was his birthday? Was that the reason the day felt important? He couldn't remember the last time someone wished him a happy birthday; sure, people acknowledged that he became a year older, but no one ever said, 'Happy Birthday'. With the same smile as her sister, Myra entered the room and held out a small, purple, parchment bag for Phobos to take. "We didn't know it would be your birthday while we visited, so Isabela and I sent a servant out to buy them. Thankfully, it arrived this morning."

"Thank you." Replied Phobos and took the bag from Myra while Isabela still kept a tight grip around his middle. "What is it?"

"They are sugar drops from Ero. I told the servant to get a variety of flavors since I didn't know which your favorites were." At this, Phobos blinked at his cousin in surprise; he couldn't understand why she had sent a servant all the way to Ero to buy them for him. However, he was thankful for the gift, even though he didn't know why he received it. Carefully, he unfolded the top of the bag and looked in; there were a plethora of pearl-sized drops in various different colors. Hesitantly, since he wasn't sure how to eat them, he picked out a green drop and put it in his mouth. At first, everything was fine, and he could detect a slight taste of honeysuckles. Then, everything went downhill from there. The sweetness was stomach-churning. His jaw clenched, his tongue cramped, and a strange feeling covered his teeth as if a film covered them. He felt like spitting out the candy as well as the remnants of his breakfast. He knew what sweet was, he enjoyed honey in his tea, but this was the strongest he ever had.

Myra could clearly see the discomfort on her cousin's face and her shoulders slouched. "You don't like them."

"No, I like them." He lied; he didn't wasn't Myra to feel like he didn't appreciate the gift. "I just wasn't expecting the sweetness."

"Don't lie to my sister. We can see that they are making you sick." Countered Isabela, having released her cousin's middle and was looking up at his face. She could tell that the color had drained from it and there was a slight greenish tint to it.

"I guess they are a lot sweeter than I am used. The sweetest thing I ever eat is honey." Now he felt even worse. He thought that the simple lie would keep him from hurting his cousin's feelings since they had gone through so much trouble obtaining the candies for him.

"If they make you sick, then stop eating them!" yelped Myra, now panicking that she had gotten her cousin sick. "Just spit it out." Instead of following Myra's orders, Phobos placed the tiny pearl between his molars and crunched it so he could easily swallow the candy in one gulp. The crushed candy felt like a rock in his stomach. Besides, spitting it out seemed too gross, since he only had a bin for paper in his room. Both princesses only looked at their cousin as though he had swallowed a toad instead of candy. Unsure of what to do with the candies in his hand, he held them out as an offering for them.

With an innocent, yet nervous smile, he asked, "Would you two like some?"

"No, they were meant for you." Replied Myra, still feeling bad about gifting her cousin something he couldn't use. Before the situation could get any more awkward between the three young royals, the door knocked once again. As trained, Phobos allowed entry to whoever it was and, to everyone's surprise, Lord Xavier entered. At first, Phobos was a little worried that he had forgotten an assignment or that he was still on the hook for his actions the previous days. To his surprise, neither was the case.

"Your Highness, Prince Phobos. As ordered by Queen Weria, you have been given a companion to accompany you from this day forward." The Lord then ushered in a young, blond, boy round Phobos's age. Lord Xavier did seem a little apprehensive, but he had no choice if it was the Queen's will. "This is my son Cedric. I'll let the two of you become acquainted. He will be accompanying you to lessons and training as well as any leisure time." With that, the Lord left the room as if being chased by lightning. The boy named Cedric simply stood by the closed door with eyes not too dissimilar to those of a frightened deer; this was the first time the boy entered the presence of a royal higher ranked than his father. The Prince, equally confused and unsure of what to do, simply held out the small purple bag.

"Would you like some sugar drops?"

_**CREDIT IS GIVEN TO w.i.t.c. FOR THE NAME XAVIER FOR CEDRIC'S FATHER. **_

Author's note:

Sorry this chapter isn't as well written as the others. Thing have been happening in my life and, with the muggy weather, I can't keep my mind on the subject. Still, I wanted to provide something for you guys and I feel awful if I can't post once a week. I hope the next chapter will be more up to par.


	5. Chapter 5

So far, Weria managed to keep her condition secret from her husband thanks to her friend Seras and his absence from the kingdom; however, she didn't know how much longer she could keep quiet from Zaden. She felt too ashamed to join him in bed and had slept in her study with Seras as company, but she knew this was only a temporary fix; sooner or later, she would have to face her husband and tell him the horrible news. How would he take it? They had been planning for a girl since the day they were engaged and now that this was out of the question, she wondered if he would still love her.

Furthermore, today, her son was turning 6. In another 6-years, he would be considered an adult and eligible for the throne. She didn't have much of a choice without a girl to take the throne, so there was no way that Zaden could oppose this choice. However, what worried her the most was how the people would take it. Most of the citizens weren't alive when the last king officially ruled, and the legend of Óró was still widely told. Sure, Seras might have a point when she said that the legend of Óró was just that: Legends. There were no written records of the time that Óró lived, so all that is known is what was told from one generation to the next. Sure, there probably were some exaggerations, but legends had to come from some truths.

Just as Weria was contemplating a plan to break the news to her husband, Seras entered the room, followed by a very worried Lord Xavier. Weria understood why the Lord was worried; his only child was ordered to be the friend of Meridian's future king. In addition to that, Phobos was still discovering all of his powers and refining his skills to use the ones he already discovered; at this stage in his development, he was a hazard to be around. If anything, Weria was surprised that Seras let her daughters near the young prince. Isabela, the youngest, held powers but Myra hadn't developed any and would probably never develop any. However, they were still at risk being near Phobos and Seras, for all her openness and acceptance, still seemed neglectful for allowing her children near such a hazard.

"Queen Weria, I rarely question your decisions, but are you sure it is a wise choice to let Phobos near any child without magic without supervision? He hasn't mastered the art of conjuring fire; I am not trying to undermine the Prince's capabilities, but he is a child. A child is easily distracted and carried away- "

"And any mistake he makes is an opportunity to learn." Seras interrupted Lord Cedric with a smile. "My little Isabella makes mistakes all the time and each time she learns from them. So far, even when someone was hurt, the damages done to them were quickly repaired.

"Princess Isabella's power is only one and it is the power over ice. Prince Phobos has domain over several powers and hasn't mastered any thus far." Xavier tried to argue, but Seras only waved him off and asked.

"They are children, how bad can their magical antics be?"

"Both of you, quiet down." Weria had enough of listening to their arguments. "To ease everyone's worries, the young royals will be under supervision. Now, unless you two have more pressing matters to attend to, I suggest that you. "She points to Lord Xavier. "gather the children for their today's lesson. I have decided that, while the princesses are here, that they will not miss out on their education. They are already missing a full week; they will not miss anymore."

"Yes, your highness." Replied the Lord and rushed out of the room. At the very least he could keep an eye on the Prince and his son and that was all that mattered to him.

"You never asked me if my children should attend lessons here." Complained Seras and sat down beside her friend on the long chair. Weria immediately wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders and Seras gently stroked her friend's hair. "They are my children; you could have run that decision by my first."

"You may be a Queen, but you are still in my kingdom. Besides, it will do them good to experience the education of another kingdom. From what I heard, Ero teaches that there are only 6 kingdoms in Metarmoor and not 10."

"Ero doesn't see the small island's as individual kingdoms." Seras knew this was a weak excuse, but it was the way Ero saw the world.

XXXXX

In the Royal Lecture Hall, Cedric sat nervously between Prince Phobos and Princess Isabella. So far, all the royals seemed kind and welcoming; the Prince even offered him some sweets, but he still felt like he didn't belong. Each one of them was finely dressed and their dresses were richly embroidered with gold and silver threads. Myra's dress, which was a deep maroon color, even sported a peace pit-sized ruby on its bodice. The simplest dress appeared to be Princess Isabella; however, on a closer look, her dress was finely decorated in a silver vine pattern that perfectly hid within the fabric of her silver dress unless the light hit it just right. However, even with the pressure of these very smart dressed royals near him, the thing that most troubled him was that he seemed to be in the path of a constant cold draft.

While Cedric was sitting between the royals feeling nervous, Myra was sitting to Phobos's left impatiently awaiting her first lecture in Meridian. She had heard that people were taught different things than the people in Ero. She knew from her mother that Meridian saw the island kingdoms as individual's instead of a group and that Meridian still taught the belief in the ancient gods that once ruled the world.

"Alright students, for most of you this is your first lecture with me and for half of you, the time we have together will be limited. However, we shall do most with the time we are given." Said Lord Xavier in front of the four students; his nerves were at ease now that he was able to keep an eye on his son while he was in the presence of the Prince. "Now, today we will start our lecture with a mixture of history and theology. Can anyone tell me the significance of today?"

"It is his birthday." Cheered Isabella and pointed at her cousin Phobos, lightly bouncing in her seat and smiling; positive that her answer was correct. Phobos tried to hide his grin, for once someone was putting attention on him without any great expectations.

"That is true, but there is more about today than a birthday." Replied Xavier, not even acknowledging that it is the Prince's birthday; he had no reason to. Soon, the thought, the Queen would bare a girl and this boy would be out of his hands. With his hands folded behind his back and his glasses resting low on his nose, Xavier turned his attention to the young Phobos, "Your Highness has been my student for years, perhaps you can tell us the significance of this day?"

For a moment, Phobos was stumped, he knew today was important and he thought, since Myra and Isabella made such a big fuss about it, that it was because of his birthday; now he knew it wasn't the case. The nagging feeling returned to his mind and his stomach felt like it was twisting in knots; it always did this whenever he was put on the spot. "Umm.."

"I am disappointed in you Prince Phobos." Was Lord Xavier's solemn response, he had pressed the importance of history and religion on the young royal, now here he sat and gave the visiting princesses the impression that he, Lord Xavier, was a poor teacher. At least he had his own son to fall back to and so, with high hopes, he turned to Cedric. "Cedric, do you know the significance of today?"

"Today is Óró Mortis Day." Replied Cedric as if reading it off a calendar. He hadn't really learned much of that day and his family hardly celebrated it. From what he knew about the holiday, the people in the kingdom would bake cakes dyed black with a white-rose jelly in the center. The cakes were bland, but they were a staple of the holiday. Once his son gave the answer, Lord Xavier returned his attention to the young Prince.

"Now, Prince Phobos, can we translate the meaning of the title given to this day?"

"It translates to The Day Óró Died." Replied Phobos, feeling as dull as a doornail. He should have guessed what day it was by the white-rose jelly served to him for breakfast. Then again, it was easily mistaken for rise-pudding in flavor and consistency.

"Why are we celebrating the day someone died?" asked Myra full of confusion. In Ero, important deaths are remembered as well, but they aren't celebrated.

"Good question Princess Myra." Replied Xavier and returned to the front of the class and stood behind a podium. "Today, we celebrate the death of King Óró, the first Meridian Ruler. Now, I do not expect any of you to know who King Óró is. He lived and died before the written language came about, but information of who he as and what his actions were, including his fate, have been gathered and inscribed to the best of our abilities. However, before we start with Óró, we have to start with his origins, which are the origins of all of Meridian and, therefore, all of Metarmoor. Prince Phobos, what can you tell us about the origins of Metarmoor?"

"Oh, that is easy." Replied the young Prince with a smile, he remembered ancient history easily. To him, the events of the past were like bedtime stories and he often imagined what it must have been like to live back then. Back when kingdoms battled, and adventure was around every corner. "Eons ago, a god from another world came to a barren planet with his syrinx. On that barren rock, he played his flue every day and night until, one day, he couldn't produce a single note. He blew and blew and blew until, out of the longest tube, fell a child. He repeated this process with the other six tubes, ending up with seven children; each of which was a god. The oldest was Uisce who was the god of water. Then there was the Wind God Gaoth and the Earth Goddess Domhan. Then there is Goddess Dóiteáin, the goddess of fire and Beathra god of life. They were followed by Goddess Solas the light deity. The last to be born was the mischief Goddess Inaska."

Phobos stopped in his telling of the religious history of the world to gauge the tone of the room. As expected, all eyes were on him; Isabella leaning so far out of her seat that she was nearly falling out of it. "Once all the gods were born from the syrinx, the father god returned to his world; leaving the seven deities to form this world as they saw fit. Domhan grew the trees and flowers; Uisce created the oceans, rivers, lakes, and creeks; Gaoth danced in the air to create the winds that blew the leaves from Domhan's trees and stir the waters Uisce ruled. Doiteain and Inaska would play in Domhan's woods, causing old trees to fall and forest fires to form, which cleared the way for Domhan to create new foliage. Beathra lazily roamed the world while Solas hung high in the sky to shine light upon her sibling's creation. For the longest, the gods were content with their creation; however, they soon became bored with what they created. They knew every nook and cave; there was nothing left for them to explore. That was when Beathra had the idea to search for their father- "

"Prince Phobos, please stick the story as it pertains to King Óró. We do not have all day." Interrupted Xavier; he was glad the young Prince remembered the legend, but most of it was nonsense and only served as storytelling material.

"Umm…well…long story short, the gods find other worlds with many different creatures and they bring some back here to Metarmoor with them. Along with some creatures, they brought humans with them and the Goddess Solas fell for one of them. She gave up her godly powers and they got married." The Prince was a little miffed that he couldn't tell the full legend of the old gods. He could tell that Myra, Cedric, and Isabella really wanted to hear more of the story.

"Precisely," replied Xavier and pointed to a large stain-glass window. The window depicted a woman sitting in a large, golden, disk. "The human-turned Goddess Solas and her husband produced a son, whom they named Óró. From the accounts we have gathered over the ages, Óró's early years were coated with successes. He led his tribe through vital battles, united the three tribes that existed at the time, had the first city built, and founded the Kingdom of Meridian; all before he was 15. He married the chief's daughter of the largest tribe and had 10 children with her; everything appeared well for a long while."

"If he was such a great guy, then why are we celebrating his death?" Myra asked again. So far, Xavier's story about Óró Mortis Day didn't make sense.

"I was just about to get to that, Princess Myra." Replied Xavier and returned to his place at the podium. "It is true that everything was fine and great for years. However, as the King grew older, his demeanor began to change. Where he was once just and kind, he became cold and ruthless. The smallest slight against him, his family, or his kingdom became a death warrant and many citizens lost their lives. He showed mercy to none except his oldest daughter. His brother-in-law was fed to a pack of wild dogs, his infant son was burnt alive, and his wife imprisoned for conspiracy to assassinate him; all were extinguished one by one, except for his oldest daughter. No matter how cruel he became, he never laid a hand on her. Her name was Rhiannon, little is known as to why he spared her, but she took his mercy towards her to her advantage. She bid her time and trained her powers; each day, she became more and more powerful until, on her 12th birthday with the illuminating power she inherited by her grandmother, she overthrew and killed Óró and became Meridian's first Queen. Since then, we have been primarily ruled by a Queen and each queen held the Light of Meridian. This power is passed down from mother to oldest daughter and, with each succeeding queen, the kingdom has prospered. Thus, is the reason we celebrate Óró Mortis Day." Xavier paused momentarily to read the room before asking, "Does anyone have any questions about the reason we celebrate today?"

"So, is that why we eat those bland cakes? With the black representing Óró and his deeds while the white represents Rhiannon?" asked Phobos in a weak attempt to lighten the mood. He was a little disturbed by what he had just learned, and he could tell, by a quick glance around him, that the others were as well. Isabella was on the verge of tears from fright and Cedric looked like he was about to faint, probably from the part of the story where a baby was burned. Even Myra, whom Phobos saw as a very brave soul, uncomfortably squirmed in her seat.

Aside from lifting the mood of everyone else, he tried to ease his own nerves. He had just discovered that his birthday was celebrating the death of a cruel tyrant. Furthermore, he was worried about the future of the kingdom as the current Queen, one Weria Escanor, hadn't birthed a female heir to the throne.

Who was going to rule the kingdom once she died?


	6. Chapter 6

After hours of history, geology, and economy it was time for the Prince's physical education. Today, it was fencing, and his partner was Cedric, who quickly learned that he hadn't had as much experience than the prince; he only managed to dodge and block a few of the royal's attacks. While they sparred, Xavier gave them hints and the princesses sat in comfy chairs on the sidelines. This annoyed Myra quite a bit, back in Ero she was allowed to partake in any physical exercise she wished, here she wasn't even though she tried to explain to Lord Xavier that she was a way better partner to the Prince than Cedric. Those words fell on deaf ears.

"You are still upset," Isabella noted and leaned against her sister, wishing to be anywhere but in this room and wish to do anything but watch two boys hit each other with metal rods.

"I am twice as good as those two, why can't I spar? Is it just because I am a girl?"

"We can ask mama. Maybe we can convince her to let us play with the boys?" Myra only shook her head at her sister's innocents.

"We can't always rely on mother to fix the world for us. One day, we will have to pick up the sword and fight for ourselves and what we believe in."

"I hope not." Replied Isabella and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't like people getting hurt."

"So, would you rather sit by and watch someone hurt me?"

"No one is going to hurt you. We have guards."

"By the Gods Isabella, are you that innocent or are you pretending to be?" Myra hadn't meant for her words to come out as harsh as they did, but her heart still ached that she wasn't allowed to fight. Isabella, because she was so young, didn't make the connection and scrunched up her nose at your sister.

"You are mean." She then hopped off the chair and walked out of the sparring room and into the garden. She preferred the outsides anyway; while it was freezing in Ero, just beginning to become spring, it was a warm fall in Meridian. The leaves were just beginning to change color, the air was warm, the sun was bright, and the roses still bloomed; for Isabella, this was way better than sparring. Myra didn't stop her little sister she was going to apologize later when her mood was better. Perhaps Isabella would have forgotten their little fight and she wouldn't have to apologize; either way, it was a win for Myra.

Cedric was near the end of his strength by the beginning of the fourth round while the prince didn't seem the slightest bit tired. It made Cedric wish he had practiced more when his father had asked him to. How was he going to compete against the young royal? That is if he was even supposed to compete against him; the thought of being the prince's new whipping boy seemed cruel since he was told to be the prince's friend. Then again, what did it mean to the friends with a royal?

Just as the young boy was contemplating this, the Prince took the opportunity to twirl his blade and hurl Cedric's sword across the room with the hand of an expert. To Cedric, it was just another round that he lost.

"Four to zero, the crown wins." Called Xavier from the sidelines and picked up his son's saber. "Five-minute break to all. Cedric, please train more so you are a challenge to the Prince."

"Yes, father." Muttered Cedric and struggled to free himself from the smothering warm jacket that protected his body from the metal of the sabers. They were dull but could still inflict severe bruises. Xavier left the training hall to allow the children to socialize, surely Queen Weria's idea had scared him, but having his son become the Prince's friend could only go well for his family.

"You did well." Said Phobos as he managed to free himself from his jacket, but Cedric didn't want to hear it.

"No, I didn't. I did horrible. You don't have to keep you sportsmanship if no one is watching." For a moment Cedric forgot that he wasn't speaking to a normal peasant boy, but to the Prince. He felt ashamed that he wasn't better and, in a way, felt that he had let his father down.

"You don't have to snap at him for following the rules of the sport just because you suck at it." Quipped Myra from her seat and got up to approach them. "It is the rule of sportsmanship that the winner congratulates the loser on a good match."

"But it wasn't a good match." Countered Cedric, he felt as hurt as only a child could at failing at something. "It was an awful match, I never even got one hit in."

"If it means that much." Said the Prince carefully, he didn't want to escalate the situation. "I can let you win the next round. That way your father will be happy with you."

"No, he won't!" Cedric snapped back, shocked that anyone would suggest cheating in front of his father. "Either he will know you let me win or he will be upset that I beat a royal. Either way, I am screwed!" he shouted back and rushed out of the training hall and into the garden, he wanted to get some fresh air and cool his temper; he felt his face getting hot from shame and embarrassment. To him, Phobos wasn't some royal that stood above him in every social way, to Cedric, the finely dressed boy was just another child that didn't have to worry about disappointing someone.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Phobos his cousin, who only looked at the young royal as if he had sprouted a second head.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you that you can't talk that way to a child?"

"Other than you and Isabella, I haven't talked to many people of my age." Replied Phobos and hung his head a little. "So, I did do something wrong. I shouldn't have suggested letting him win."

"Well, at least you learn quickly, so there might still be some hope for you." For some reason, his cousin's words stung.

"I am not an idiot." He snapped back. "I just don't know what people want from me."

"There is no reason to snap at me just because I am honest with you." Countered Myra and crossed her arms in front of her chest and Phobos hung his head again. "And there is no reason to hand your head like a hurt puppy."

"What do you want from me?" the young prince was beginning to get confused.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know." Replied the prince and fiddled with a strand of his hair. "I think I should apologize."

"Just because social conducts says so doesn't mean you should." Replied Myra, her arms still crossed. She remembered a similar conversation she had with her mother, so she thought she would copy her words. "An apology doesn't mean anything if you don't mean it. Do you want to apologize to Cedric?"

"Not really." Replied Phobos and thought about what Myra said. He wasn't sorry that he suggested letting Cedric win. "I would have let him win. Maybe if he won Lord Xavier would be happy and we could stop practice for the day."

"Well then you should go out there an tell him." Myra shook her head. "I swear it is like meeting a statue that just came to life. You have absolutely no personality."

"I do have a personality."

"Well, you don't show much of it. You don't play, you don't talk about what you like or dislike, and you don't know when you want to apologize and when you don't."

"Well, I never really had to apologize for something like this." Replied Phobos to his defense. "I had to apologize for things that were my fault, like forgetting to do homework, but never for hurting someone's feelings."

"Well, you are going to run into several situations like this in the future, so you better start practicing now." With that, Myra twirled around and marched out of the hall and into the garden where she found her sister picking at the rose bushes. Phobos followed and found his new, supposed, friend sitting on the stairs to the training hall. He had his face hidden in his knees.

"Cedric." Phobos started hesitantly, he first had to find out if the boy was even going to listen. "Are you angry with me?"

"I don't know." Muttered Cedric without lifting his head. "Right now, I am mad at myself."

"Why, you tried your best in there?"

"My best isn't good enough for my father." Cedric's head shot up and he looked at the royal. "And I don't know what I am supposed to do here. My father knows I am not that good at fencing. This morning he told me I am supposed to be your new friend, so you don't have just Princess Myra and Princess Isabella as company."

"Well, do you want to be my friend?" This conversation wasn't going where the young prince had hoped, but he was interested in learning more about this stranger that entered his life less than 6 hours ago.

"I don't know enough about you." Replied Cedric and lowered his head again. "Father seemed so proud that Queen Weria wanted me to be your friend that I couldn't say no."

"Well, I don't know enough about you either." Replied the prince and sat beside Cedric; for a moment, neither spoke. "Myra doesn't think I have a personality. Do you think so too?"

"I don't know enough about you to know that either." He replied and poked at his shoes, which were a little more worn and not as fancy and the Prince's boots.

"Well…" Phobos wasn't sure how to start, he never really faced a situation like this before. "I don't like fencing. That is why I thought I would let you win. Lord Xavier would be happy, and we could stop training for now. I hate how hot and stuffy the jackets can be and I hate getting hit by the sabers. I don't see the point about fencing either since Meridian hasn't been at war in ages and royals aren't send to allied armies. The chances that I'll ever use the fencing skills are close to never. I would rather be reading my books or playing hopscotch with my cousins."

"What books do you like to read?" asked Cedric, at the notion that the royal boy beside him also enjoyed reading, he liked the boy a little more.

"I don't get a lot of time to read, but I am currently reading Mordred Avalon's Worlds and Lives. I like the idea that the stories of our ancient gods being able to visit other worlds is very entertaining."

"I have also read that book." Cedric warmed up to the Prince a little more. "If you like Mordred Avalon's work, then you'd enjoy Morin Doven's book of pros. She isn't as fantastical as Avalon, but there are still entertaining and uplifting." He then returned his gaze to his shoes. "I also don't get a lot of time to read. My father gives me a lot of things to study."

"And here I thought he only favored me when it comes to the number of studies." Muttered Phobos and rested his chin in his hands. "So, you have to study a lot too?"

"Every day, it feels like he is trying to make me remember everything he knows. I swear he is trying to form me into another version of him. On some days, all I want to do is walk around the woods and watch birds; is that too much to ask for?" asked the young boy and looked at the prince sitting beside him.

"I know how you feel." The Prince sighed and watched Myra picking flowers to form into a crown for Isabella. "Why do you think we have to study so much?"

"Unless someone else is given my father's position, I'll be the next Meridian Lord, so I'll have to learn how to do his job. As for you…" his voice trailed off. "It depends if Queen Weria has a daughter."

"What happens when the Queen has a daughter?" asked Phobos. He had never been told the what's and why's of his potential future.

"Well, from what I have studied, the daughter will be given the crown."

"I know that too, I have been paying attention in class today." Interrupted the Prince and looked at the boy beside him a little annoyed. "I mean, what will happen with me if the Queen has a girl?"

"I am not sure." Cedric thought for a second. "I think Prince Eric was sent to serve in the army."

"Who was Prince Eric?" asked Phobos, he was intrigued because he had never heard that name before.

"I think he was Queen Weria's older brother, but he passed away shortly after entering the army. I think it was an accident." Cedric then shrugged his shoulders. "But that is all I know father didn't give me the documents to study."

"Well, you already know more than I do." Replied Phobos and lowered his head a little. "I didn't even know I had an uncle once. I wonder what he was like?"

"There aren't any documents about his personality in the royal library." Muttered Cedric and leaned back a little. For another moment, neither boy spoke. Myra finished the flower crown and set it on top of Isabella's head; the red, blue, purple, and yellow flowers contrasted perfectly against the young princess's white hair.

"So, you like to read too?" asked Phobos in an attempt to continue their pleasant conversation from before. "When do you get the time, considering you study as much as I do?"

"I try to read a chapter or two at night. It isn't exactly easy considering I need moonlight to see. I tried to read by candlelight, but father always caught me when I did and scolded me. He wants me to be fully rested for studies the next day."

"So, you would read more, if you could comfortably get away with it?" asked the Prince and moved a little closer to the boy. He was beginning to find the Lord's son interesting.

"I bet I could finish a book a night." Replied Cedric with a smile, he didn't mind bragging about his literary skills.

"You are lying, so one can read a book a night." Phobos crossed his arms and smirked at the boy.

"I bet I could if I had a light that my father won't notice."

Before the Prince could reply to the bragging boys words, he heard their names being called by a very familiar voice; Xavier was calling them back because their break was over, and it was time to put on the stuffy jackets again. The Prince silently groaned at the thought of putting on those heavy jackets. Outside, it was warm but pleasant with a slight breeze to keep cool; he would gladly trade his fencing lessons for a few more minutes of roaming around the garden. Cedric, Myra, and Isabella also groaned at the thought of going through another hour of fencing and dragged their feet as they returned to the training hall.

Inside, Xavier handed Cedric and Phobos their jackets. "Put them on and we can start with the next four rounds."

Cedric, begrudgingly, began to put on the heavy protective jacket, but Phobos hesitated and stared down at the heavy jacket with metal woven between its' layers. "What if I don't want another round of fencing with Cedric?"

"Today, you have no other choice as I left mine at home, your highness." Replied Lord Xavier and eyes his son suspiciously; he wondered what the boys had talked about while he was out smoking his pipe.

"No, I mean, what if I don't want to continue my fencing lessons today?" the Prince corrected himself and lowered the jacket. "The day is so nice outside, and the jacket is stuffy. Certainly, it wouldn't hurt to skip one lesson."

"There will be no skipped lessons on my watch." Xavier began to get impatient. In the past, the Prince had never questioned his schedule; on the contrary, the young royal was always quick to do as he was told. However, since his cousins from Ero visited, something about the boy he taught had changed.

"But I don't want to put on this dumb jacket." The Prince pouted and let the jacket fall from his hands. He was going to show both Myra and Cedric that he had a personality, and that personality hated fencing. With his arms crossed he looked up at his mentor. "It is heavy, it makes it hard to breathe, it stinks, and it is hot as Hell. I don't want to fence today. I hate fencing in general; I don't even know why I have to learn it. "

"Every male royal has learned the art of fencing and so will you, Prince Phobos." Lord Xavier fought with the urge to pick up the little prince and shake some sense into him. "No put on your jacket or fight without its' protection; however, I would advise against that."

Keeping his arms crossed, the Prince glared at Lord Xavier and wondered how a minor strike with lighting might make him change his mind. "I don't want to, and you can't make me."

"Prince Phobos Escanor, now let us not argue about this. You have to learn to fence there will be no further arguments about it. Now put on your jacket." The Lord was so focused on the rebelling royal in front of him that he didn't notice the small, dark grey, cloud forming over his head.

"I SAID NO!" shouted the Prince and stomped his foot. The moment his foot struck the ground, the cloud over Xavier's head let out a deep, loud, and low rumble of thunder and let loose all the water within, heavily dousing the Lord with cold water. For a moment, no one spoke. Cedric stared at his father as the rain poured on him as though he stood in the middle of a severe storm; he couldn't understand how the rain suddenly appeared. Phobos too was surprised at what he had accomplished; sure, he had managed to conjure clouds in the past, but none were ever strong enough to carry rain.

The moment of stunned silence was cut short by a burst of high-pitched, hysterical laughter. Looking over his shoulder, Prince Phobos saw that Myra was holding her stomach and was nearly falling over at the sight of her soaked teacher. Isabella wasn't far behind her sister, covering her mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing. Looking back at his teacher, Lord Xavier's expression was sour enough to make Meridian's bitter plums look sweet. The Prince then chanced a glance at Cedric, who looked shocked yet about to burst out laughing like the princesses, so gathering his courage, Prince Phobos shouted.

"RUN!" he then dashed for the door to the garden; Cedric hesitated only for a second to drop the jacket he was putting on before dashing after the Prince. The Princesses, who were closest to the door, were the first out the door; all four were nearly howling with laughter. Once Phobos was out the door, the cloud above the Lord's head dissipated; leaving the Lord dripping like a cat that was dunked in a bucket of water. Xavier wanted to run after the little brats but stopped himself. He knew that, if he laid a finger on the Prince he would risk his position. However, he could still have the boy punished, all he had to do was report to his mother.

Outside, in the garden, once they were sure Lord Xavier wasn't chasing after them, the royals came to a slow stop, all still laughing from what had just happened.

"Did you see the expression on Lord Xavier's face?" Myra gasped for air, "I bet he could cook water with that glare."

"I have never seen him that angry." Chuckled Cedric and wiped a tear from his eye; his sides began to hurt from laughter. "How did that even happen, where did the rain come from?"

"Duh, Phobos conjured it." Myra rolled her eyes and crossed her arms; she was thinking about how dumb boys could be.

"You did that?" Cedric asked Phobos, surprised at what his new 'friend' could do. Phobos couldn't help but smile at the happy sparkle in his new friend's eyes; in a way, it felt like he had accomplished something. Cedric, despite having grown up with his father, had never really witnessed the conjuring of a storm before; it felt as though three holidays had fallen on the same day. He was so happy and excited that he couldn't help himself from cheering. "That is so amazing! What else can you do?"


	7. Chapter 7

That question stumped the Prince. What all could he do? He had been using magic since he was 3 years old, but he never kept track of which powers he had and what they could do. He knew he could conjure storms, but that only worked when he concentrated hard and the storm clouds usually dissipated once he took his attention off it. So far, he was only good at levitating and keeping a flame in his hand. He couldn't properly conjure the fire, but he was assured that, with time, he would get better.

"I am not sure Lord Xavier is only teaching me how to levitate and conjure fire, and I haven't kept track of every trick I did." With that, the young prince lifted himself off the ground, hovering only a foot above the grass and looking down at his new friend with a smile. "However, I am pretty good at this trick."

Cedric's jaw nearly hit the floor; he had only ever heard of someone levitating, but never actually saw it in action. His new friend looked like he had become feather-light and a warm draft was keeping him in the air. The Lord's son wasn't the only one excited, as Myra's jaw dropped as well, and Isabella jumped in place while clapping her hand excitedly. Reaching up at her floating cousin, Isabella begged, "Pick me up!"

Phobos thought about it for a moment; he wasn't sure if he could carry anyone while levitating, but he wouldn't know unless he tried. Besides, he wasn't far off the ground so there wasn't much that could go wrong. Carefully, the young prince stooped down, took his cousin's hands, and pulled her off the ground; to his surprise, he didn't decrease in altitude; it was as though the air under his feet was forming a solid, invisible, platform. Isabella excitedly laughed and kicked her feet. Isabella couldn't levitate, so it felt exciting to be off the ground. Isabella's high-pitched giggles laugh, and cheers made the young prince smile. The feeling of being wanted and useful returned; the feeling was warm and pleasant. After a few minutes of holding Isabella off the ground by her hands and swinging her around, he placed her down and turned to Myra and Cedric. Cedric, though excited and laughing, was a little nervous about his turn and pointed a finger at Myra, who thought that it was Cedric's turn. All color drained from her face when Phobos grabbed her hands and lifted her off the ground.

"You crazy loon!" shrieked Myra as she kicked at the empty air in front of her. Cedric couldn't help but compare the sight before him to a ragdoll come to life and burst out laughing; soon, his sides began to hurt.

"Phobos put me down NOW!" Myra shrieked, she hadn't known it until now, but she was scared of heights. The moment she looked down at her feet dangling over the grass, with nothing to hold her except her cousin's hands, her heart began to race like a wild horse, and she began to breathe heavily. Sadly, Phobos wasn't paying attention as to why Myra wanted down, so when she yelled at him he simply dropped her and turned his attention to Cedric. Without hesitation, Phobos picked up his new friend and began to swing him around. While Cedric laughed and kicked his feet in the air, Myra rushed over to the cheering Isabella and wrapped her arms around you little sister; she was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"What's wrong Myra?" Isabella asked and took her attention off her cousin, she was still clapping, but quieted down a bit.

"I just got scared. That is all." Gasped Myra and, to her shock and surprise, Isabella giggled.

"Scaredy-cat."

For that comment, Myra pushed Isabella to the ground and huffed. "I am not a scaredy-cat!"

"YES, YOU ARE!" Isabella shrieked back and tried to kick her sister.

"NO, I'M NOT!"

While the children were either playing or arguing, Zaden was on his way from the royal library to his wife's private study. He was still exhausted from his trip to Morovia, but it was necessary to congratulate King Runir and Queen Terrina to the birth of their son Orlan. In a way, he was happy for the pare and he was glad the baby was healthy; it reminded him of when his son was born. To Zaden, that day was both filled with joy and disappointment; he and Weria were glad that the baby was healthy, but had expected a girl, so the realization that their firstborn was a boy was more than soul-crushing. Since that day, Zaden rarely saw or spoke to his son and he wanted to keep it that way; he saw no sense in getting attached to a child that would die in his teens. The bright side was that both he and Weria were still young and could continue to try for a daughter.

Furthermore, he was a little worried about his wife's health, as it had been a few years since a migraine attack struck her. However, with Queen Seras to aid them, he could but his worries aside for a while. He didn't like the Eroian Queen; she was loud, drank too much, was too outspoken and blunt, and doted on her children too much. Zaden often wondered how Weria managed to tolerate Seras as they grew up but, he told himself, he could manage to endure her for a while until his wife's health improved. As he journeyed to his wife's study, he came across a set of doors leading to the garden, the garden Weria adored to wander through, and stopped when he saw the chaos going on outside. The Princesses from Ero were fighting and the Prince was levitating in the air while swinging around another boy like a ragdoll. Part of him was shocked at such a sight but more important, he was angered by his son's actions. Instead of stopping the fight between the girls and acting as the royal that he is; instead, he was acting like any other peasant boy. With his cheeks burning with anger, Zaden opened the window like door and boomed, "What is the meaning of this?"

Immediate, Prince Phobos dropped Cedric, who managed to land on his feet, and fell from the air when his concentration broke; he hit the ground with a muffled thud and quietly hissed as he felt the skin on his knees split open. Jumping back onto his feet, he noticed how Cedric froze in place and the girls stopped their fight; all three of them were scared of the King and paid him respect with their silence. Quietly, shaking a bit with fear, the Eroian Princesses bowed before the King as they were taught. "We are humbled by your presence, your majesty."

"I ask again, what is the meaning of this outrage?" Zaden ignored the Princesses greeting and kept his eyes on his son. He didn't even bother to glance at the young Cedric, who was still frozen from fear. Before Phobos could open his mouth, Princess Isabella spoke up.

"Don't be angry Uncle Zaden. Phobos wants to make us laugh." Her fear forgotten; Isabella smiled sweetly at the King.

"Laugh?" Zaden asked as though he had never heard of such a thing, "Aren't you all supposed to be with Lord Xavier for your lessons?"

"The fencing lessons were boring." Replied Myra. "And Lord Xavier won't let me participate."

"Phobos made a cloud rain on the teacher." Added Isabella with a giggle as she remembered Lord Xavier's, red with anger, getting drenched with rain.

"Is that true, Prince Phobos?" Asked King Zaden and Prince Phobos shrunk back a bit at the sound of anger and disappointment in his voice. Without saying a word, the young prince simply stared at his feet and nodded his head. Zaden shook his own at his son's actions. "Prince Phobos, the kingdom and I expect more from you. Do not let yourself fall so low again. Is that understood?'

"Yes, your majesty." Replied the Prince in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Without another word, King Zaden resumed his journey to his wife's private study, leaving the young prince standing the way he left him, shaking in his shoes.

"Wait!" shrieked Myra and the King stopped at her request, looking over his should as he expected the young royal to continue. "Aren't you forgetting what day it is?"

Looking down at his feet, Phobos's face was partly hidden so no one could see a small smile on his lips. Surely, if his cousin's remembered that it was his birthday, then his father would as well. After all, King Zaden was there the day he was born.

"It is Oro Mortis day." The Prince's smile dropped. The King didn't know what day it was. When the King was gone, Phobos stood straight and fought hard to hold back tears. He didn't understand why it bothered him that his father had forgotten his birthday, after all, he had forgotten himself, but it did. He thought it probably had something to do with his cousins remembering. How could they remember and congratulate him when they just met him, yet his parents couldn't. Even Lord Xavier, whom Phobos suspected didn't like him, knew.

"I am not going to lie." Started Myra and gently patted her cousin's back. "Your father is a bit of a jerk."

"He is the King." Replied Phobos, his tears already forgotten. He had never seen his parents shed a single tear in public, so he wouldn't either. "He has a lot of important things to remember."

"Your birthday is important." Countered Cedric, finally realizing what had just happened. "He should have, at least, mentioned it."

"He is a very busy man." Replied Phobos in defense of his father. "Maybe he just didn't have the time."

"My mother and father are busy too, but they always remember and make time for Isabella and I." replied Myra with her hands on her hips. To her, King Zaden's actions were unacceptable.

Sensing her cousin's inner conflicts, Isabella walked up to him and put her arms around his middle. "Don't be sad. We remembered."

XXXXX

Finally reaching his wife's study, Zaden quietly knocked on the door, which startled the Queens inside. Weria had summoned her husband to inform him about her condition, as Seras had worn her down and convinced her to do so. Now that the time had come, her nerves abandoned her. "Oh dear, that must be him. I can't do this."

"Yes, you can." Replied Seras and gently stroked her friend's hair. "You have to eventually tell him if you ever want to share a bed with him again.

"What if he won't love me anymore after I tell him?"

"Weria we discussed this all before." Replied Seras with exasperations. "He won't stop loving you. Even on the off chance that he did, you are better off without him. Now face him like the big girl that you are." Seras then turned her attention to the door and addressed King Zaden. "Please enter."

Zaden was a little surprised to hear Queen Seras's voice and not his wife's but entered either way. Weria was sitting on her long chair with Seras by her side. When he entered, Seras stood and made to leave; Weria made to hold her friend's hand, but that didn't stop Queen Seras, who simply continued walking to the door. When she walked past King Zaden, she whispered. "Your wife has something important to tell you."

When Seras left the room, Zaden didn't hesitate to rush to his wife; kneeling before her and taking her hand, he asked. "Is everything alright, my love?"

His words stung her heart and she wondered how she could tell her husband the devastating news. She worried that he wouldn't love her afterward or that he would lose all respect for her as a Queen if she couldn't fulfill her duties. She had loved Zaden from the moment she met him, even if their marriage was arranged. He was kind, warm, just, and intelligent; Weria felt more than lucky that life gave her such a good husband. Why couldn't life gift her a daughter for this man? Clearing her throat, she quietly spoke. "I have spoken with the royal physician during your absence."

"Are you ill, Weria?" concern growing in his voice.

"I might as well be, as it regards the future of Meridian." She wished she could tell him, without explicitly saying that she couldn't give him the daughter he wanted.

"Is there a cure? Do you need the services of a better doctor?" his worries began to grow and his grip on his wife's hands began to tighten; he was afraid of losing her. Weria groaned internally and bit the inside of her lip. There was no way around it, she would have to say it as it was.

"No, Zaden I do not require another doctor. There is no cure for what I have." She paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I am afraid I can't provide Meridian with a proper heir."

Zaden was stumped and wasn't sure what to think. Weria was still young so there was still enough time for them to have a second child. "Weria, we are still young; we can continue trying, we-"

"No Zaden, we can't." interrupted Weria and sat up straight. "According to the physician, my body isn't strong enough to properly carry a second child. I am sorry I can't give you and Meridian a daughter."

"Surely the doctor is mistaking." Zaden's mind began to race. How could this be? Weria was the queen and had the born duty to rule Meridian and produce an heir. Perhaps the doctor was wrong, or they simply needed to find one that could give her better treatment, so her body was strong enough.

"Sadly, he isn't," replied Weria and shook her head. "My body simply isn't strong enough to carry another baby. This is why I sent for Queen Seras, so she can help me tell you. I was worried that you would stop loving me if I told you."

"Weria, nothing on Metarmoor could make me stop loving you." Zaden was shocked that his wife even entertained the idea that he could ever stop loving her. He had fallen for her the moment he met her. Yet, he was worried about the future of the kingdom. "But, whatever shall we do, who shall rule the kingdom after our passing?"

"Queen Seras suggests that we should announce Prince Phobos as our heir." At his, Zaden stood and shook his head.

"A boy can't rule Meridian."

"It has happened in the past and there is the chance that his descendants would be a girl. The Light of Meridian has skipped generations before." She remembered the conversations she had with Seras and, though Weria hated to admit it, her friend had sound logic.

"Weria, you can't be serious." Replied Zaden with a hint of anger at the edge of his voice. "The people would never accept him as their king. We have to find another way- "

"There is no other way, Zaden." Weria snapped. She felt as though he was blaming her for this situation, and she hated it. "I can't have any more children and Phobos is our only one. We have to announce him as our future heir if we want the Escanor lineage to continue."

Outside the Queen's private study. Standing with her ear pressed to the door, Queen Seras was smiling at how her friend stood up for herself.


	8. Chapter 8

Back outside, the children still stood in attention even after Zaden left; their moment of fun had passed and now they were left standing in the garden with the late summer sun beating down on their heads. Of the four, Phobos felt like beating himself into the ground. He rarely saw his father and knowing that he had just disappointed the King felt crushing. Myra, though not possessing any magic, felt her cousin's inner turmoil and gently patted his back. All they had done was fool around a bit with magic, what was so wrong with that. With confidence in her voice, Myra said. "The King is a jerk."

"No, he isn't," replied Phobos, his eyes still cast to the ground. "He is right, I shouldn't play around with magic like that. I could have hurt you all."

"I want to play again." Chimed Isabella and lightly pulled on her cousin's hand to get his attention. "Please fly again." However, her light pleas fell on deaf ears. That was when Cedric looked down and saw the little red stains on the Prince's knees; the fall had burst open the skin on his knees.

"You are bleeding!" he shrieked as the color drained from his face; the sight of blood unsettled him. He felt his knees grow weak and an icy lump growing in his stomach. "We have to take you to the infirmary. If it gets infected, you could lose your knees!"

"Don't be silly." Myra snapped back at Cedric. "He isn't going to lose his knees. You only get infections if you get the injuries dirty. His knees aren't dirty, so he isn't going to get an infection."

"The books say that not all dirt is visible." Cedric countered. "According to Galen's book of Medicine- "

"You can't learn everything from books." Myra interrupted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I have gotten hurt like that hundreds of times and never gotten an infection."

"Just because you got lucky doesn't mean he will." At this point, Phobos stopped listening to his friends and began to walk towards the doors. He wasn't worried about an infection or losing his knees; he didn't want his clothes to get any more strained than they already were. Plus, his knees stung with pain when he moved, so he figured that he should bandage them up so the fabric of his clothes wouldn't rub against his open wounds. While Myra and Cedric argued about books and life, Isabella followed her cousin like a lost puppy.

"Phobos, are you upset? Please don't be upset." Her light voice was barely above a whisper in the high-ceiling hallways of the castle.

"I am not upset." Muttered the Prince and kept walking despite Isabella having to take two sets for every one of his. "My knees are burning."

"Mommy can help with that." The Prince's cousin pipped up and ran so she would be in front of him. "Whenever Myra or I am hurt, we go to her and she makes all the pain go away. Please wait here." With that, she ran off in the direction she knew her mother would be; the Queen's study.

XXXXX

Quietly standing outside Weria's study, Seras stood and kept her ear pressed against the wooden door, trying to hear the conversation going on inside. It concerned her that the conversation dropped to a level that she couldn't easily hear. As she stood there, with her ear pressed against the door, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a quiet voice emanating from behind her. Snapping around like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, Queen Seras spots her daughter just a few feet away.

"Isabella, what is the matter, why aren't you with your sister?" she asked and pressed her back against the door, hoping her daughter hadn't noticed her eavesdropping.

"Phobos is hurt. Can you make him feel better?" asked the little princess with her eyes full of worry and confusion. Worry for her hurt cousin and confusion for how her mother was acting. Why was her mother pressing her back against that door the way she was?

"What do you mean? How bad is it?"

"He was floating in the air and King Zaden spooked him. He dropped Cedric and fell on his knees. His knees are bleeding and Cedric said he is going to lose his knees to infection!" the little girl's voice began to get frantic and she began to panic. In her young mind, she honestly thought her cousin would lose his knees and didn't want that to happen. "Is he going to lose his knees?"

"No, he isn't honey." Replied the Eroian Queen and approached her daughter. "Just show him to me and I'll see what I can do." With a relieved smile, Isabella led her mother down the hallway, her soft footfalls echoing off the castle walls. Seras didn't want to leave her friend alone with Zaden; at the very least, she should have told her friend where she was going. Still, a child was hurt, and her daughter wanted her to help, so her friend would have to deal with her husband on her own for a while. Within minutes, the two Eroian royals reached the Prince, who was waiting in the spot his cousin asked him to. When Seras saw the bloody knees and sour look on the little Prince, her heart stopped for a second; though he wasn't her child, her heart bled for any child in need. Rushing to his aid, she asked. "Phobos are you alright?"

"Yes, Queen Seras. I am alright, I just hurt my knees fooling around. I know I shouldn't have, and it won't happen again." Replied the Prince, his cheeks burning with embarrassment; he was sure that, soon, the entire castle would know how much of a fool he was. To his surprise, Queen Seras shook her head at what he said.

"Accidents happen all the time, there is no need to apologize. Now, how about I take you to the infirmary and take a look at your injuries." Said the Queen and gently ushered the Prince to the castle's infirmary; all the while, little Isabella was following her mother and her cousin. Despite having been told that he won't lose his knees, she was still worried about her cousin. She had only ever seen her sister and her mother bleed, so the sight of her cousin bleeding unnerved her. Soon, the Prince was seated on a soft chair in a room that smelled of soap, medicine, and disinfectant. He didn't like the infirmary, all his memories with this place were painful and he only wished to escape the place; surely he could handle the pain in his knees. To be at his level, Queen Seras knelt before the young royal and carefully asked him. "I heard from Isabella that you fell after being startled from levitating, is it only your knees that were hurt or is there another injury?"

"I fell on my hands and knees. My hands are alright, it is just my knees that are bleeding. Your highness doesn't need to concern themselves with such frivolous things. The royal medic can handle this." Replied the prince and showed the palm of his hands to the Queen. The Queen, again, shook her head and took a glance at his hands; they were scuffed but didn't need immediate attention.

"I bandage my children all the time unless their injuries are too serious for me to handle on my own." Said the Queen and began to roll up the Prince's pant legs. Phobos hissed a little when the fabric of his pants was removed from his wounds. Seras looked at them, hissed in sympathy, and went to the medicine cabinet for disinfectant and bandages. The Queen's actions confused the young Prince and he asked.

"Are there no medics in Ero?"

"Of course, there are." Replied Seras with a light laugh as she knelt to start cleaning the cuts on the boy's knees. "Why are you asking this, doesn't Weria look after you when something like this happens?" to her shock, but not surprise, the young Prince shook his head. She should have known not to expect much from her friend; however, it still felt wrong to Seras that Weria barely looked after her flesh and blood. Phobos noted how Seras demeanor changed and he immediately knew that something was wrong. The small smile on her lips felt forced and there was a sad glimmer in her bright blue eyes. Furthermore, he understood what Seras was thinking and it stung. Isabella and Myra were treated by their mother whenever they got hurt, but he who was their cousin did not enjoy the same treatment. To a child, who was being introduced to so many foreign concepts of family, it felt very unfair that his mother was a complete stranger to him. After seeing Queen Seras three times, he knew the color of her eyes, the number of curls in her golden hair, and the scent of her perfume which reminded him of lilacs and roses; however, he couldn't say the same thing about his mother. He thought her eyes were blue, like his, but he wasn't sure, he knew her hair was a brownish-red color, but he couldn't remember its' length or how she wore it, and he wasn't sure what his mother smelled like.

Within minutes, Seras had the boy's knees bandaged and the palms of his hands cleaned. This relieved the Prince of the physical pain, but Seras could still sense the emotional one that she couldn't heal. Isabella, unable or unwilling to sense the tension of the situation, wrapped her arms around her cousin's neck and cheered "Yay, you won't lose your knees!"

Queen Seras couldn't help but chuckle at how close the cousin's had become.

"Can you still fly?" Isabella asked and gently poked the bandages on her cousin's knees; she knew little to nothing about magic and worried that this small injury would prevent Phobos from levitating in the future.

"It is just a few cuts, Isabella," Seras answered for the Prince. "He will be just fine."

"I don't think I'll levitate for a while." Replied the Prince, the King's words echoing in his mind. "The King is right; I shouldn't have plaid around like I did."

"Oh, for the sake of Solas," Said Queen Seras and rolled her eyes. All the progress her children had made with this child was undone by some idiots words. "Just because your father says something doesn't mean you have to automatically comply. King Zaden has no magical capabilities and you were only playing and exploring your abilities. No one was hurt, so go and keep playing!"

This silenced the little Prince and Seras immediately knew she had crossed a line. She didn't mean to raise her voice at the little Prince but did out of frustration. She hated it when a none-magic user tries to order a magic-user around, especially when the magic-user is a developing child. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to yell; please just go and play, if King Zaden or another royal try to stop you tell them to come to me. Now go and play safe."

Gently, she ushered the Prince off the chair and Isabella took him by the hand to lead him back to the garden. The Prince was still and little frazzled from the way Seras spoke about the King but knew better than to argue with an authority figure; besides, he knew he would still get into trouble for what he did with Lord Xavier, so a few more minutes of freedom might be appropriate. With a headache growing, Seras sighed and returned to the study; to her surprise, she found a very soaked Lord Xavier standing beside the King. "Did I miss something important."

"Not at all, Queen Seras." Replied Weria with a sigh. She was already exhausted from the argument she had with her husband, the last thing she needed was Xavier and Seras to add their pennies to it. "Lord Xavier just arrived to tell us something and I, myself, am very interested as to the state of his appearance."

"The young Prince found it very hilarious to conjure a storm cloud over my head to skip out on fencing lessons." Answered the Lord with a slight smirk on his face. Surely he knew the Prince wouldn't get away with what he had done. "After causing the distraction, he, my son, and the two princesses all ran out."

"I am appalled by this news and will deal with this matter as soon as time allows." Replied Queen Weria, but before either Lord Xavier or King Zaden could say another word, Seras interjected.

"Lord Xavier, it is just water. Your clothes aren't ruined, and I am sure the children didn't have any malicious intent when they did this." She then placed her hands on her hips and gestured, with a nod of her head, for both Xavier and Zaden to leave the room. "Now, if you'll excuse us, it is very clear that Queen Weria is exhausted and needs her rest."

"But, the children- "Lord Xavier was cut off by Seras before he could finish.

"Lord Xavier, we all appreciate your concern about their wellbeing and education, but right now isn't the time for it. Now, please excuse us." at this point, Xavier knew that arguing was futile left the room in a huff. Zaden, on the other hand, didn't leave; he remained standing where he was with his arms crossed over his chest. "Zaden, please, can't you see that Weria needs her rest?"

"My apologies, Queen Seras, but this is a family matter."

"Well, I am family- "

"I mean close family matter."

"Well, considering Weria and I grew up together, so we are practically sisters, there is no one closer to her family than I am." Replied Seras with her arms crossed in defiance.

"Zaden, please," Weria's weak voice chimed in and Zaden's harden expression softened, "Give Seras and I a few minutes. I'll see you this evening before bed. However, right now, I have a headache and want a moment alone with my cousin." Begrudgingly, Zaden left the room, leaving Seras and Weria alone. "Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Nothing really, I just saw how exhausted you were." Replied Seras and sat down beside her friend on the sofa. "How did he take the news?"

"As well as you'd expect. He keeps saying that I should consult another physician for their opinion on my condition, but how is that possible when the Meridian Royal Physician is the best in the land? I highly doubt that Zaden would agree to let Phobos carry the title of King once we pass away." With a sigh, she leaned against her friend's shoulder. "Then Xavier came in…I can't believe what Phobos had done to Lord Xavier."

"We did similar things when we were young. It is only natural that the child will rebel at times; besides, Xavier's weren't ruined. They would have gotten wet during cleaning anyway, so there was no real damage done. If anything, you should be concerned over your son. He got injured levitating in the garden." At this, Weria sat up, her eyes wide with concern.

"Is it serious?" she rarely saw her son, but she still carried him under her heart for nine months and this was the first time she heard of him getting hurt while practicing his magic.

"He only scraped his hands and knees, nothing severe. Still, I am surprised to hear that you never looked after him when he gets sick or hurt."

"I am a Queen; I have hundreds of things to look after every day!" Weria replied in defense, but the cold glare she got from her friend made her shrink back a bit.

"I am a Queen as well and have just as many responsibilities to look after as you do, yet I always make time for my children and look after them. Quite frankly, I am more than disappointed in you."

"This is the first time I have been informed that he got injured while testing out his abilities, so far I only heard successes about my son." Her voice was a little weaker and she felt her cheeks turning red with shame; this was the first time she heard Seras being ashamed of anything she had done, and it stung her heart that she had let her closest friend down.

"Weria, you haven't seen your son since the hopscotch incident. He is your only child, shouldn't you get to know him a little before he is an adult?" again, Seras was right. Seras was always right in such matters. Since the Prince's first birthday, she hadn't seen him much and she knew little to nothing about him. She was sure his eyes were blue but wasn't sure what shade; she knew her son's hair was blond and long but didn't know why he wore it that way; she didn't even remember what her son smelled like. She didn't know his likes and dislikes or where his strengths and weaknesses lay. Meanwhile, her friend Seras knew everything about both her children. Weria was sure that after all Seras had told her about them, that she knew more about the two princesses than her son. This added another sting to her heart.

XXXXX

Back outside, the Prince still felt a little sour about that the revelation that his cousins saw their mother more often then he did his mother when there was two of them and only one of him. Sure, Meridian was a much bigger kingdom than Ero, but it still felt wrong in some way. In a way, he wished he had never met Myra and Isabella. He was happy about his living situation before he met them; at least he thought he was happy. When the two young royals stepped out into the sun-light garden, they were surprised at what they saw. Instead of arguing, Myra had her fingers in Cedric's mouth and was pulling the cheeks apart to get a better look into the Lord's son's mouth.

"Myra, what are you doing?" asked Phobos and Myra turned her attention away from the boy's mouth and onto her cousin with a bright smile

"Phobos, Cedric is a descendent of The Great Serpent!" Immediately, Isabella clapped her hands in excitement, but Phobos was unsure what Myra meant with that. Was she referring to another legend or story he didn't know or remember?

"A what?" with a shake of her head, Myra explained.

"Cedric is a shapeshifter!"


	9. Chapter 9

"A shapeshifter?" the young Prince was baffled as he had never heard of such a thing in his life; then again, he was being introduced to many new things since being introduced to his cousins. Cedric, having had enough of the princesses fingers stretching his cheeks, shook his head to free his mouth from her assault and dashed to stand behind the Prince.

"She put her fingers in my mouth without warning!" whined the Lord's son and pointed his finger accusingly at the young Princess, who was whipping her hands on the skirt of her dress as if it were normal for her to have a stranger's saliva on them.

"His eyes and teeth changed during our argument. He is a shapeshifter and I only wanted a better view of his fangs." At the mention of fangs, the Prince shifted his attention from Myra to Cedric and took a closer look at his new friend. The Lord's son had changed a little; Phobos remembered Cedric to have a slender, but a smooth face, now it was a bit more muscular and his cheeks were a little jagged. Furthermore, the pupils of his eyes were a little slanted and had changed their shade to a more vibrant grey with green flecks. Despite himself, Phobos grabbed Cedric's chin and pulled open the young boy's mouth, indeed the boy had grown fangs that were in the process of retreating back into the gums.

"How do you do that?"

"He is a shapeshifter!" repeated Myra and Cedric shook his head free from the Prince's grasp.

"STOP SAYING THAT!" snapped the Lord's son and took a few steps away from his new friends. He felt violated by their prodding and didn't want them to continue asking him about his abilities.

"Why are you upset?" Asked Phobos, he couldn't understand why Cedric was trying to hide his shapeshifting ability from him. "It is amazing that you can change your appearance."

"He is just scared that we will tell everyone what he is." Chimed Myra and skipped closer to Cedric with a malicious grin on her lips as she leaned closer to the Lord's son. "Afterall, everyone is scared of shapeshifters."

"Why is everyone scared of shapeshifters?" Phobos was still oblivious to the whole situation. All he could think of was how amazing it was that his new friend can change his appearance. Sure, if Cedric changed into a monster, he might be a little scared, but he was sure Cedric would never hurt him.

"Because they are descendants of the Great Serpent. Do you use your ears for anything other than decoration?" Phobos ignored Myra's comment on his ears and kept his attention on Cedric, who was shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Well, I am not scared of you. I think it is great that you can change your appearance. How good are you at it and can your father do that too?" the bright sparkle growing in his eyes, he was growing more and more fascinated with his friend by the minute. Cedric, realizing that there was no true escape from this situation, decided to stand his ground.

"No, my father isn't a shapeshifter. My mother was one and I inherited her ability. My father knows of what I am, but knows I am perfectly capable to keep my ability hidden unless I lose my temper, which is how Myra discovered my ability."

"What can you change into?" Asked the Prince, which earned him a frustrated groan from Myra.

"You really don't listen, do you?" at this point Myra was getting annoyed at how her cousin only seemed to hear fragments of what she was saying. "He is a descendant of the Great Serpent and can, therefore, change into a human-snake hybrid thing. People are afraid of them because the Great Serpent was a servant of the Goddess Inaska."

"That is just a legend." Muttered Cedric and his eyes fell to the ground. Myra was right; most people, even if they didn't believe in the old gods, believed the legends and feared the beasts mentioned in them. He was sure that now the Prince would never look at him the same way; his first, true, friendship had come to an end because of some Princess with a nosy attitude.

"What is the legend of the Great Serpent?" Asked Phobos, this small mystery bouncing through his head like a hyper-excited bee. "And why would people be afraid of a shapeshifter?"

"Don't tell me you don't know." Groaned Myra and her cousin's ashamed look confirmed her suspicions. "You know of the Metarmoor Creation story, but not of one of the most tragic love stories of all time?"

"I am not a fan of romance and I haven't learned all legends, so no, I don't know of the Great Serpent." At her cousin's respond, Myra rolled her eyes and motioned for the group to gather closer before starting the tale.

"Well, a long, long time ago, when King Oro was still sane and ruled the kingdom fairly, there was a huge Serpent that lived in the Temple of the Seven Gods. The main purpose of the snake was to guard the bejeweled statues of the gods and for the longest, the snake was happy with her job. Then, one day, a hunter came to the temple to pray to Domhan for a successful hunt. For the snake, who hid in the shadows whenever someone entered the temple, immediately fell in love for the hunter and would pine after him when he left. The giant snake cried so much over the absence of the hunter that it caught the attention of the Goddess Inaska who appeared in the temple during one of the snake's crying moments. When she arrived, it is said that she animated her silver gilded statue to speak with the snake. The snake laments her conditions; she fell for the hunter but isn't allowed to leave the temple. Furthermore, there is no chance that the hunter would fall for her as long as she looked like a snake."

"Phobos is better at telling stories than you." Isabella chimed in when Myra took a moment to breathe. The boys couldn't help but chuckle at the minor insult thrown at Myra; however, Cedric had to agree with Isabella, Phobos was a better storyteller.

"Well, do you want to hear the rest of the story or are you just going to insult me?" asked Myra with her hands on her hips and the others tried their best to quiet down. Taking a deep breath, Myra continued. "Well, the Goddess offered the snake a deal. Inaska would offer the snake a life as a human woman with the hunter if, in return, she would give up any and all children the snake had with the hunter to the temple as her replacement. There was a catch to the deal and that was, should the hunter ever discover her secret, she would turn snake again and be banned from the temple grounds. Of course, the snake agreed and Inaska turned her into a human woman. The snake then took up the name Nathair; she and the hunter ended up marrying and everything was great for a while. However, after years of trying the hunter became distraught that each of his wife's pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Furthermore, he became suspicious that each miscarriage occurred while he was out hunting. So, on their 13th attempt to have a child, the hunter only pretended to go out hunting a few days before the baby was due. He was shocked to see Nathair sneak out of the house and proceeded to follow her for several days. To his surprise, his wife went to the temple and entered without a second of hesitation. Quietly he sneaked after her and, to his horror, witnessed her give birth to their 13th child, which was a snake-human-hybrid. Looking around, he spotted his other 12 children and the Goddess Inaska. The moment his gaze returned to Nathair, her human appearance melted away and she returned to her snake form. Disgraced and broken-hearted, Nathair fled from the temple and into the woods. Now, the Hunter had fainted from shock, but when he awoke, he realized that he still loved her, so he followed her tracks into the woods. Now, the children could disguise themselves as normal humans to hide amongst the people, find love, and have children of their own. That is how shapeshifters came into existence and, according to legend, it is the reason you hear a moan in the wind sometimes; as he, to this day, bemoans the loss of his beloved."

For a moment, the three children before her were silent, unsure of what to say or think. Cedric mostly thought about how Phobos could have told the story better than Myra. Isabella was near tears as she pictured a poor man looking for his beloved. Phobos, on the other hand, stood there perplexed by the story. To him, it didn't make sense or, maybe, Myra simply didn't tell the story well enough for him to follow. For him, all the trouble the characters went through could have been prevented if the characters spoke to each other about the problem. Furthermore, it didn't explain why people were afraid of shapeshifters; then again, maybe they were afraid of the snake portion of their heritage. "Well, regardless of their heritage, I am not afraid of shapeshifters and I am not afraid of Cedric. Plus, that story is stupid. The characters could have just talked about their problems."

"That isn't the point of the story." Argued Myra, getting more and more annoyed with her cousin. "The point is to explain why shapeshifters exist."

"It doesn't explain why people are afraid of them." He argued in return. "Nathair did nothing to hurt anyone and Inaska kept up her side of the deal."

"Didn't you listen? People are afraid of the snake heritage and the fact that Nathair served Goddess Inaska. It doesn't matter if Nathair and Inaska did nothing wrong, it is all about who they were. Nathair was a giant snake and Inaska was the goddess of mischief and the mother of death."

"That doesn't sound fair." Countered Phobos, his will to argue growing weaker and weaker. To him, Myra's reasoning was sound; if things have been this way since the beginning, then that was the way things were.

"Well, life isn't fair." Retorted Myra in a calmer voice; she remembered arguing the same point with her mother when Queen Seras told them the story and could empathize with her cousin. Standing behind Phobos, Isabella turned and wrapped her tiny arms around Cedric's middle. In her tiny, soft voice cueing.

"Don't be upset, Cedric. Phobos isn't scared of you, so I am not scared of you." As she said this, she pressed her face into his stomach. In a way, Cedric felt touched at how his new friends were standing up for him and were trying to comfort them; however, that endearing moment was short-lived when an icy pain ran through his stomach. The Princess was freezing cold, if Cedric hadn't known better, he would have thought she was made of ice. With a gasped cry, Cedric pushed the little girl away from him and rubbed his stomach to ease the stinging cold.

"Holy Gods you are cold!" to his further surprise, Isabella and Myra burst out laughing. He didn't understand what was so funny; the little Princess was as cold as ice and he didn't know how that was possible. "What is so funny?"

Instead of answering with words, Isabella pressed the palm of her hand against her lips and blew Cedric a kiss; as she blew the kiss off of her hand, tiny snow-flakes were blown in Cedric's direction. That is when it dawned on both Cedric and Phobos, Isabella had power over ice and snow, which was why she was so col to the touch. Cedric felt like smacking himself over the head, this was why he felt a draft during the lecture; he was sitting beside someone with snow powers. At Cedric's baffled expression, Isabella burst out laughing once again and made to hug him, but Cedric only stepped away from her; the cold truly hurt, and he didn't want to experience this again.

Isabella's laughter stopped and her smile dropped; this was the first time that someone denied her hugs and she couldn't understand why. Phobos noticed how his cousin's expression changed and he was sure she was going to start crying. Before Isabella's mood could drop any further, he wrapped his arms around Isabella's tiny frame; he didn't think about her temperature since his shirt and embroidered robe were thick enough that it wouldn't bother him. Isabella, the neglected hug from Cedric forgotten, cheered and held her cousin a little tighter. Then, once Isabella's hug was done, she returned her attention to Cedric and smiled. "Show your trick."

"What?" Cedric's mind had trouble keeping up with the little Princess's changes in subjects.

"She wants you to shapeshift." Explained Myra and crossed her arms again; Cedric was sure that crossed arms and hands-on-hips were the only poses Myra was capable of. "In fact, I want to see it too. I bet Phobos wants to see you change too."

Cedric felt cornered; he had promised his father that no one would ever discover the family secret. At the same time, Phobos and Isabella were fully willing to show him their abilities; in a way, he felt like he owed it to them to show them his snake form. Still, he didn't want to and thought he could come up with a good excuse; besides, what if they saw his other form and got scared of him? "W-well…I don't want to be caught. I promised my father that no one would find out."

"That is alright, we will just go into the rose-maze. There you can show us, and no one would see. I promise to keep your ability a secret." Replied Phobos, took his friend by the arm and led him to the rose maze in the garden. Cedric was unable to argue or fight his friend; after all, no one would see them. After entering the rosebush maze, the group took several twists and turns until Cedric was sure they were lost and far out of sight from prying eyes. When the group reached a stone bench within the maze, Phobos stopped and smiled at his friend. "There, we are all well-hidden, now you can show us your other form."

Cedric fiddled with a strand of his hair and nervously looked from one member of the group to the other. They had promised not to tell, but he was still worried that they would get scared and run away. "Well, my other form is a large snake, like Myra said, and it might scare you."

"I am not scared of snakes." Quipped Phobos and turned to his cousins. "Are you two scared of snakes?"

"I am not scared of anything." Replied Myra and looked down at her little sister.

"Snakes are slimy." Replied Isabella and clung to her older sister's arm. "But I am not scared."

"See, no one is scared, and no one will tell. If they do, I promise to avenge you." The Prince's bright and innocent smile reassured the Lord's son and Cedric took a deep breath before closing his eyes and concentrating. Slowly, his skin began to change, and the fangs grew out of his jaw. The three royals stood in awe as Cedric's appearance began to change; his pale skin changed to tan, green, and red scales. To them, it was as though an illusion was melting off the Lord's son and, within seconds, the Cedric that stood before them was a large snake. When Cedric opened his eyes, he felt like hiding when he noticed that his friends were gawking at him; he hated feeling like a spectacle.

The surprised never seemed to end for him that day, as the moment his eyes fell to the ground, Phobos grabbed hold of his wrist and began to rub his scale-covered arm. With a peal of slight laughter in his voice, Phobos cheered. "Snakes aren't slimy. They are shiny!"

"Shiny?" Isabella gave her cousin and Cedric a questioning glance and gently touched the end of Cedric's tail, which used to be his toes. When she realized that what her cousin said was true, she jumped up and down on her toes and cheered "SHINY!"

Cedric was more than relieved that his friend didn't run from him. If anything, he felt blessed that they accepted his true form and were even excited by it. "You look amazing!" cried Phobos and circled Cedric once. "You look like a warrior!"

"Warrior snake!" Corrected Isabella and the group laughed at her comment. That day, Cedric knew who he could and could not trust with his secret and he was glad he could be himself around his new friends.

Author Note: Hello and sorry that this chapter isn't as good as the others. I knew I was behind on schedule and wanted something light hearted to lift the mood. I thought a light-hearted chapter about the children being children would bring a smile to your face.


	10. Chapter 10

The next few days were a true grind for the children; the stunt with the rain cloud over Lord Xavier's head hadn't gone unpunished and the Lord made sure each child, including his son who received a stern talking-to that evening, was given one assignment after another. As the children sat in the library, open books strewn around them on the large, oak table, bent over another essay the Lord had assigned to them. With her eyes burning and her fingers aching, Myra sat up and stretched her back before turning to Cedric with a groan. "Blighty, your father sure knows how to hold a grudge. It was just a little water that Phobos dumped on him and he is acting like we killed his cat."

"This is nothing," replied Cedric and wiggled his fingers to get the cramping feeling out of them. "He gave me a stern scolding; I was surprised he didn't give me a spanking. To top it all off, he blamed me he the Prince's actions."

"How did you make me douse the Lord? You can't conjure thunderstorms." Asked the Prince with an eyebrow raised at his new friend. Cedric, straightening his back and lowering his voice to mimic his father.

"I shouldn't have let you alone with the Prince. I bet you filled his head with your foolishness. The Prince was a well-behaved child before you and the Princesses messed with his attitude." At Cedric's attempt to mimic his father, Isabella stifled a giggle and pushed the essay she had been working on aside, her head was beginning to hurt from all that writing.

"I don't want to write anymore. My hands hurt." Whined the young Princess, not used to having to write so much.

"So, do mine and everyone else's, but Lord Xavier has his head so far up his own rear that he can see the sun through his nose." Muttered Myra and picked up another book for her essay on Meridian's History and Mythology. Opening the book to a random page, her eyes light up was what she read. "Hey guys, I just found out something interesting about the gods!"

"What did you find?" asked Phobos and tried to lean over the table to peek at the page Myra was staring at, but his short stature didn't allow it.

"According to the book, once their sister Solas passed away from old age the others did as well. They aged in mourning and, one by one, they aged and withered away until six of the original seven were gone; their power gathering in a single spot, which became a magical spring on top of which a castle was built. The book refers to this castle as Oro's daughter became its' guardian." At the mentioning of a magical spring located somewhere in his home, the Prince's eyes lit up with awe and wonder. He wondered why he hadn't been told this sooner and what such a spring could do; what made a simple spring magical?

"Where is it located?" asked the young Prince before he could stop himself. Myra only shook her head.

"It doesn't say. Maybe we can convince Lord Xavier or Queen Weria to show it to us, considering Phobos is going to be the next ruler of Meridian." Was her reply, her eyes still fixed on the pages in front of her.

"Why does it only say six gods? I thought there were seven." Asked Cedric and got up to look over Myra's shoulders at the book.

"According to this, the goddess Inaska didn't wither away because she was banished from the pantheon for crimes against the gods. She was cursed to wander the world in mortal form while suffering from immortality." Replied Myra as she flipped through the pages, "but it doesn't say what she did."

"Being immortal doesn't sound like a harsh punishment." Muttered Cedric and returned to his seat. "If she did something so horrible, why didn't they banish her to the Boglach Thrones?"

"Well, if you were a god, there is nothing worse than being trapped as a human for all eternity." Reasoned the Prince and cracked his fingers; he was sure that his young fingers weren't supposed to make those sounds.

"Does that mean that Inaska is still wondering the world?" asked Isabella with her brows furrowed in worry. "I don't want her to find me. I head she steals children's hearts."

"It is just a story, Isabella, people wanted to explain the world around them and made up stories for that. My family probably found a magical spring on the castle grounds and made up a reason why it is there. Inaska isn't wandering the world and she isn't going to come and steal your heart. She is just a character in a story." Replied Phobos and reached across the table to gently pat Isabella's hand. He could tell that the young Princess was visibly shaken at the thought of that heart-stealing monster wondering the world.

"We used to pray to those characters." Countered Myra, but Phobos had a response to that as well.

"And now we pray to other gods that we have no proof exist. Some people don't pray to any gods and they live just as fine as the faithful. Again, there is no proof that Inaska is real, so there is no reason to fear her."

With that argument settled, the group returned their attention to the essays they had abandoned; however, their minds were fixated on the legends and the magical spring that was hidden somewhere within the castle. The longer the group sat in silence, the more impatient they became. The only one they could ask about the spring was their teacher and he was taking his sweet time smoking his pipe. Thankfully, his hourly check-up on the group came about and, the moment Lord Xavier entered the library, Phobos shot up from his seat, grabbed the book Myra had found the legend of the spring in, and rushed to his teacher.

"Lord Xavier, Myra discovered this legend that says there is a magical spring somewhere in the castle. It is true?" he asked and held open the book to the proper pages. Lord Xavier was taken aback and took a step away since the Prince was holding the open book close enough to his face that the letters blurred together. Once he was at a distance to where he could read the book, he inwardly groaned. He had hoped that Queen Weria would give birth to a girl soon enough that he wouldn't have to teach the boy about his heritage. However, now the boy knew and worse, the Princesses knew. Casually, he took the book from the Prince's hands and looked at the page depicting the spring.

"Yes, it is true," he sighed, "However, only the Crown Princess is allowed to see it since she is going to be its' guardian."

"Can we see it? Since Phobos is going to be King one day." Asked Myra and excitedly jumped in place, hoping their teacher would say 'yes'.

"I'd have to ask Queen Weria for permission, as it is currently under her care." Xavier wanted to say that the boy wasn't going to be king but knew better than to say so. After all, though he wished Weria gave birth to a daughter, there was a minor chance that the boy was going to be king one day. Then, to his emotional torment, Princess Isabella ran up to him and stared at him with her deep blue eyes and her hands clenched together in a begging manner.

"Pretty please, we want to see it." Her ocean-blue eyes were practically sparkling like diamonds. It burned his soul to deny her anything, but he had to endure it.

"As I said, I'd have to ask Queen Weria for permission. If she thinks it is a good idea, I'll be more than happy to show you four the spring. However, it isn't much to see." He tried to avoid the little Princesses precious eyes, but they were unavoidable. As he turned around, he thought how any husband would be lucky and doomed to have a wife with eyes like that.

XXXXX

In the Queen's private study, Weria sat on the sofa with her friend Seras gently cradling her in a hug. Weria had been suffering from another migraine and her husband incessantly bothering her about attempting a second child wasn't helping. If anything, he insistence on trying for a second child was beginning to wear down on her and she was beginning to consider attempting a second child with him, even though she knew of the risks involved. Luckily, she had Seras for strength and support.

"About your child, I really suggest you give him more trust and responsibility. How is he supposed to prove himself to you, if there is nothing to prove?" Seras started and Weria groaned, she didn't want to think of her son, her husband, or her kingdom; she just wanted her friend to hold her until the pain in her head faded away.

"I suppose you are right." She muttered and nestled deeper into Sera's bosom. "If the opportunity presents itself, I'll give him a chance."

"Also, I think you should see him at least once. You'd be surprised how fast your children grow if you turn your attention away from them."

"I just saw him and know how much he has grown." Countered Weria, but Seras only shook her head.

"Last time you saw him, was when Fan tried to get him into trouble for playing hopscotch with my girls. Since then, you haven't seen him as far as I know. If you haven't noticed, I try to see my children once a day. Heck, I think I saw your son more than you have so far." Again, Seras was right. It wasn't like Weria was trying to avoid her son; she had made plans to see him. However, whenever she tried to make time for him, something came up that required her attention. When she planned to have dinner with him, a letter from Morovia arrived that required her immediate attention. When she wanted to have a minor meeting with him, her husband demanded her attention. It seemed that, even when she wanted to see her son, that the universe was working against her.

"Well, I tried to make time for him, but something always comes up."

"Then force time with your son. A letter from Morovia can wait an hour on your desk before you open it."

"I'll try harder tomorrow when my migraine is gone. Right now, I don't have the mind for anything." Just as Seras was going to drop the subject and let her friend rest, there came a knock on the study door. With a groan, Weria sighed, sat up, and answered. "Come in."

Internally, she groaned even louder when it was the Lord; surely he had come to report on another misdeed her son committed. Still, she had to act accordingly. "Lord Xavier, what brings you here? How are the children behaving."

"The children are behaving themselves quite well." Xavier was nervous and lightly fiddled with the sleeve of his robe out of sight from the royals; he didn't want them to notice any weaknesses he had.

"Then what brings you to us?" asked Seras, sensing the tension emanating from the Lord before her.

"Princess Myra discovered a text referring to the magical spring in the castle's basement and all four children are curious about it. Phobos wishes to see it and I told him I'd ask for permission from you." Secretly, he was hoping and dreading that she denied the request. Hope since he didn't want to show the Prince the spring, dread because he didn't want to see the disappointment in Princess Isabella's eyes. Weria sat up straight and thought things over. She knew that her child would, eventually, discover the spring; however, she had hoped it would be her daughter that would. Now that the secret was out, there was little there could be done about it. However, perhaps this incident was a blessing in disguise; Seras had been harping on her to give her son a chance and the universe aligned itself to make that happen.

"Then show him the spring. It is his heritage and might be his responsibility in the future. Go and show it to the children, but don't let them touch the water; they are still too young for the powers it holds." Queen Weria's ruling surprised the Lord, but he didn't question it; surely she had her reasons, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Queen Seras had her hands in the Queen's decision. As quickly as he had arrived, he disappeared. Once she was sure Lord Xavier was out of earshot, Seras let out a chuckle.

"Did you just allow Xavier to show the children the spring because of me?"

"You suggested I give him a chance and I am doing as you suggested. I was going to wait until it is certain I won't have a second child, but there is no harm in rushing things along a little." Replied Weria with a cheeky smile.

XXXXX

Back in the library, as he had expected, Lord Xavier was swarmed by the children, who had been eagerly sitting at the table, waiting for the Queen's response. The moment her eyes fell on the Lord, Isabella's eyes lit up and she smiled at him; again, Xavier quietly cursed the young Princesses looks and pitied any man who would marry her one day. That poor fool would be unable to deny her anything. Clearing his throat to compose himself, he addressed the group. "Children, you will all be pleased to know that the Queen has agreed to grant all you permission to visit the spring. However, none of you are allowed to touch the water."

The children exchanged excited glances and the girls covered their mouths to muffle their cheers of success and excitement. They managed to get out of writing essays and reading books for a while and were allowed to see an Escanor family secret. The young Prince's mind was filled with images on what the spring would look like. He had been in most rooms in the castle and never recognized anything that resembled a spring, so it couldn't be too big. Unless it was located in the lower levels of the castle where he had been denied access. If that were the case, there was no limit to how large the spring could be. Furthermore, what could a magical spring do? What made a spring magical? Sure, there was the legend that it held the essence of the gods, but that was probably just a legend. Perhaps the spring could grant wishes or tell the future? Those were the only things that came to the young Prince's mind when he imagined a magical spring.

Like little ducklings, the four children began to follow their teacher as he began to lead them in the direction of the magical spring.


	11. Chapter 11

Like a row of obedient little lambs, the royal children followed their teacher each one thinking their own thoughts on the matter of the magical spring. Myra was secretly hoping that the magical spring was proof that the gods once existed, just so she could prove her cousin Phobos wrong. Earlier in the library, he spoke so confidently about the nonexistence of the gods, she just had to prove him wrong in some way. Cedric was wondering about the true history of the spring. As his new friend, Cedric wasn't a big believer in the ancient gods. However, if the spring was magical, there had to be a reason for it. Isabella didn't care if the spring was magical or not, she was simply happy to be away from the library and given a break from the work. Lastly, Phobos was wondering similar thoughts over the spring; he didn't believe in the old gods but hoped the spring was magical. Furthermore, he wondered how one would go about testing the thing's magical abilities; perhaps Xavier would allow them to touch the water as he was certain he wouldn't allow them to drink from it.

The longer they walked the deeper within the nadirs of the castle they got, but this point the small group had walked an hour and reached well below the ground level of the castle. The surrounding air was getting cold and damp and the small light Lord Xavier managed to conjure barely cut through the surrounding darkness. Despite the plain walls and simple dirt floor, the children quieted down and turned their voices to occasional whispers as if they had entered a sacred place. Slowly, the group arrived at a large, dark-wooden door that was locked with three locks; luckily, Lord Xavier was given all three of the keys necessary to open the door. Usually, the keys were separated between Queen, King, and the main advisor and only united when the future ruler needed to be introduced to the spring. In all technicality, the other three children shouldn't be there when Phobos is introduced to the spring, but Queen Weria and her guest, Queen Seras, insisted that all of the four were allowed to see the castle's secret.

One by one, Xavier unlocked each of the three padlocks keeping the door closed, which opened with a loud yet dusty bang. Each bang made the young Prince shrink back as though he was being struck, something about that door and what lay behind it made him nervous and a little fearful. Something deep within the Prince's heart told him that, once that door was opened, that his life would change.

With a solemn expression, Xavier turned to the children before opening the door and addressed them in a quiet tone. "Now children, as far as everyone outside of the immediate Escanor family and their advisor is concerned, what lies behind this door is a legend. Under no circumstances are any of you allowed to speak of this place; never mention it to anyone as long as you live. Furthermore, because of your limited experience with magic, none of you are allowed to drink or even touch the water of the spring; your young bodies would not be able to properly handle the magical surge the water would provide you." He then settled his eyes on the prince, "This counts for you too, Prince Phobos. For now, it is simply too dangerous for any of you to come in contact with the water. The only reason I am showing this secret place to you is that you four asked and Queen Weria felt gracious enough to allow it; otherwise, we wouldn't be here, and we aren't staying long."

Each of the children nodded in understanding before Lord Xavier turned and slowly opened the old door to the magical spring. The only thing illuminating the small chamber that held the spring was an eerie green glow coming from the water itself. Like a mother seeing her children off for their first day of school, Xavier stepped aside and ushered the little ones into the small room. Once the children gathered around the tiny pool in the middle of the room, their excitement and sense of wonder shrank down to nothing.

"This is it?" asked Myra, her shoulders slumped in disappointment. All the children saw before them was a tiny pool with green luminescent water. Other than the fact that it glowed, there seemed nothing special or magical about the pool. It wasn't very large, it seemed just barely big enough o bath a single child. It wasn't very deep, and the children could see the stones at the bottom of the pool, which were smooth from their years in the water until they resembled finely polished marbles.

Quietly, Xavier stepped beside the little, black haired, princess and chuckled. "Yes, this is it. This is the magical spring that has been kept hidden by the Escanor family for generations."

"It is just a pool of glowing water." Myra continued as her disappointment grew, she didn't know what she was expecting, but part of her had hoped for more than a small pool of glowing water.

"Well, what do you think gives the pool the ability to glow, young princess?" asked Xavier with an amused smile on his lips. He found it funny how earlier, the little princess couldn't wait to see the spring and now, that she saw it, her spirits were crushed. In a way, Xavier wished he could allow the little princess to touch the water so she could feel the power it held; especially since he had the theory that Myra, unlike her sister, did not possess any magical capabilities. Instead of the princess answering, Xavier's son Cedric pipped up.

"There are certain types of water fungus that glow in the dark." Cedric too was disappointed at the sight of the tiny pool, but he hadn't had much hope for it in the first place.

"Right you are, Cedric. Multiple types of fungi and algae glow in the dark. However, all these plants require murky water and other aquatic beings in order to survive. This water, however, is crystal clear and free of any and all inhabitants. The glow, comes from the pure energy held within the water." Replied Xavier.

The only one who remained quiet as though he were in a crypt was Phobos, who couldn't shake the feeling that coming to this place was a mistake. Sure, if he became king this would be his responsibility to guard, but he wasn't king yet. Furthermore, from the moment he crossed the threshold, he felt invisible eyes on him and a tension in the air as if something has been waiting for his arrival. In addition to the unseen eyes on him, a small voice in the back of his head urged him to reach out and touch the water; the tips of his fingers practically itched to feel the glowing liquid before his feet and he was certain that, if Lord Xavier wasn't keeping watch over them, that he would step into the spring and let the spring soak his body and soul. So focused was the Prince on the tiny voice in his head and fighting the urge to touch that water, that he didn't notice Xavier ushering them out of the chamber. As the Prince let the teacher push him around, the tiny voice in the back of his head screamed to stay, to tear himself free of the teacher's grip and plunge himself into the water.

This voice continued to bother Phobos throughout the rest of the day. When he returned to his essay in the library, the voice begged him to return to the chamber; when he sat alone in his room in the evening to eat his dinner, he couldn't help but compare his clear soup to the spring's clear water; and when he lay awake in bed, he wondered when he would see the pool again. As he lay awake in bed, he wondered if he could sneak back into the chamber, but then he remembered that the door was locked using three different keys; the whereabouts of which he didn't know.

It was nearly midnight when the Prince heard a faint knock on his door. At first, the Prince wondered if it was his imagination, so faint was the sound, when the door to his room slowly creaked open and Isabella poked her head in with her voice barely above a whisper. "Cousin Phobos, are you awake?"

"Yes, I am." He replied in an equally hushed voice. "Why, what is the matter?" it was then that Myra poked her head in as well and beckoned her cousin to her with a wave of her hand.

"Come quick and be quiet, we are going to take another look at the spring." As his cousin asked, Phobos crawled out from under his warm blanket and approached his cousins who, just like him, were dressed in their sleepwear; apparently, they had snuck out just after their mother had put them to bed.

"What? Why are we going back?"

"Isabella insists that the spring is magical, while I think it isn't. Cedric thinks it is a fungus or something that makes the water glow. We want to go back and touch it to make sure." Replied Myra and pointed over her shoulder where Cedric was standing in the dark hallway.

"How are we going to get into the chamber?" asked Phobos, he wanted to see the spring again but knew he couldn't as long as they didn't have the keys. In response, Myra held up a pair of long, sharp, shining scissors.

"In one of my books, the main character got into a treasure chamber by picking the lock. If it works in a book, it could work for us." For a moment, Phobos thought about Myra's plans, but then worry quelled up in his heart; what if they were spotted?

"What if we get caught?"

"Then I'll take full responsibility for it." Replied Myra. "Cedric would be innocent since he was following the order of a royal, Isabella would be innocent because she is a little child and can be influenced, and you would be innocent because…" Myra thought for a moment then glanced at the scissors in her hands. "Because I threatened you with the scissors."

"Myra, this is insane." Phobos shook his head. "It isn't fair that you take the blame for all of us."

"I am the oldest of us and I have done worse back in Ero. I am sure my mother will scold me, take away some of my privileges, and then everything will be forgotten within the week." Myra countered with a smile, then turned to leave. "We are going, you can either come along with us or not."

With a giggle and a hushed chuckle, Isabella and Cedric followed Myra down the dark hallway; Phobos looked after them until his friends were swallowed by darkness. For a long moment, the young prince stood frozen in the doorway and contemplated if he should follow them; every part of his being wanted to see the spring again, but he feared what punishment might await him and his friends if they were caught. Then again, it wasn't guaranteed that they would be spotted; outside of a servant running an errand and Lord Xavier, Phobos hadn't seen anyone near the tunnel that led to the spring. Furthermore, it was the middle of the night and almost everyone, except for a few guards, were asleep.

Phobos took a deep breath to reassure himself before running down the hallway after his friends; his bare feet barely making a sound on the stone floor. Within minutes, the Prince had caught up with his friends and both Isabella and Cedric turned back to smile at him; all four were partners in crime and knew they could rely on each other never to mention this to anyone. As silent as the shadows, the children hurried through the halls; making sure to remain in the dark corners as much as possible. While they ran, Phobos wondered if this was how ghosts and robbers felt when they snuck through homes unseen.

After a long while of walking and getting lost in the castle's seemingly endless hallways, they reached the entrance to the hallway that led to the spring. When his feet touched the unfinished, dirt floor of the tunnel, the Prince wished he had thought of bringing his shoes with him, but he quickly banished that thought when he noticed how Cedric walked on the dirt floor without a single complaint. Something told him that, despite being the son of a wealthy advisor and being given new footwear at least once a year, that his friend was used to walking around barefooted. In a bizarre way, this made the young prince jealous; his friend had freedoms that he, the Prince, didn't even if those freedoms were as tiny as walking around barefooted.

So lost in his thoughts and jealousy was the little prince, that he didn't notice how they had reached the end of the tunnel; now, the only thing between them and the spring was the large, wooden, door. Without waiting for a second, Myra tried her luck on the locks with her scissors. Like a vicious harpy, Myra picked and prodded at the middle lock; turning the scissors in her hand this way and that, but the lock remained shut like an oyster.

After a few minutes, Myra huffed and abandoned her efforts on the lock; her hands ached, and the tip of her scissors were now bent from her efforts. "Still closed, I can't get this bloody thing open. Would anyone else like to try?"

Myra held out the scissors to her friends, but Cedric and Isabella didn't make a single move to take the would-be key from her; only Phobos took a step closer to her. "I can try."

"Then go ahead. I am beginning to think that the book lied to me." With that, Myra handed her cousin the scissors and stepped back to make him room. Phobos carefully took the sharp object from Myra's delicate hands and stepped closer to the locked door. Only inches away from the door, he could feel the tension from earlier and the sensation of unseen eyes on him; he was sure that, if he weren't holding the scissors, that everyone would see his hands shaking like leaf's in a storm. In a way, he knew that he would have as much success with the locks as his cousin did, but a voice deep within his mind told him to approach the first lock and demand it opened for him. This voice was warm and comforting; he couldn't remember ever hearing this voice before, but he didn't want it to leave. Carefully, he held the first padlock in his hands.

"I demand you open for me, now." He whispered in a stern voice. Behind him, he heard Myra's attempt to stifle a laugh, which quickly died when the lock in his hands let out a faint click. With eyes as big as that of a scared deer, Phobos grabbed the next lock and demanded the same from it, like its' sibling, the lock clicked open. He did the same with the last lock and, within moments, the door slowly creaked open. With a feeling of triumph, the young prince turned to his friends, who all gawked at him as though he had sprouted wings.

"How did you do that?" asked Cedric, who finally found his voice after many moments of stunned silence.

"I don't know," replied Phobos, finally stunned himself. "I just tried it and it worked."

"So, it is another one of his powers." Interrupted Myra with a hint of envy in her voice and rushed into the chamber. "Now come and let's explore this spring properly."

Without another mention on the trick Phobos performed, the small group gathered at the edge of the spring; their confidence suddenly gone and replaced with the feeling of being somewhere they shouldn't. With a shaky voice, Cedric asked. "So, who is going to touch it first?"

Quietly, Phobos stepped closer to the pool and knelt down before it. No one attempted to stop him when he reached out his hand towards the water's surface; after all, it was his heritage. Phobos, as though in a trance, gently touched the smooth surface of the green glowing water. The moment his fingertips touched the water, the Prince felt something he could only compare to a spark deep within his soul and a tingling sensation running up his arm and throughout his body. At this point, he couldn't help but let out a light giggle; he couldn't explain to himself how he could have ever doubted the decision to come here.

"And, what does it feel like?" asked Myra, a little worried about her cousin's sanity.

"It feels like a puzzle piece put in place." Was his response. It was the best way he could explain the sudden feeling of being complete that the touch of this water gave him. A little perplexed, but still curious, Isabella knelt beside her cousin and stuck her hand into the water as well; immediately letting out a giggle as well.

"It tickles." Said the little Princess and looked over her shoulder at her sister and Cedric. "Try it."

Cedric only shook his head; even if it only tickled, he didn't trust the green glow of the water and something deep within his soul told him that the water wasn't meant for him. Myra, unlike her friend Cedric, knelt beside her sister and stuck her hand into the pool and waited, but wasn't granted the same experience as her cousin and sister. With a disappointed frown, Myra muttered. "I don't feel anything."

"What do you mean?" asked Phobos, still grinning from the feeling of warm sparks running through his body.

"I mean what I said, I don't feel anything." Replied Myra and cupped a little of the water in her hand, drank a small sip, and let the rest drip back into the pool. "I don't feel a thing."

"Maybe only people with magic can feel it?" thought Isabella and playfully splashed a little of the water at her sister, not fully realizing the gravity of her words. However, the little princess's words did not go over Phobos's head and he looked at his older cousin in surprise. Then he reflected on the brief period he had known Myra and couldn't remember a single moment she had used any form of magic.

"Maybe you are just a late bloomer." Muttered Phobos in the hopes Myra wasn't too hurt by her sister's thoughtless words. Myra sadly shook her head and got to her feet.

"I thought so too for the longest, but I am six now; if I haven't developed my powers by now, they never will." The little royals disappointment and sadness were clearly visible on her face and Phobos was certain he saw the glimmer of tears at the edge of Myra's ruby eyes.

"You don't really need magic." Replied Phobos and shook the water from his hand; suddenly, touching the water felt very wrong. "You are the best at improvising games, and you are very brave too. I don't know anyone who would stick their fingers into a shapeshifter's mouth without hesitation."

"You didn't even know what a shapeshifter was until I told you." Hissed Myra and shot up on her feet. Her cousin's words did little to soothe the bitter lump growing in her throat. "You three can stay here and play with the water. I am going to bed."

With that, Myra left the chamber in a huff and was gone before anyone had a chance to stop her. With an innocent giggle and completely oblivious to what she had done, Isabella got to her feet and hurried after sister, only turning around once to bid her friends goodnight. Now, Phobos and Cedric were alone in the chamber; with slumped shoulders, Phobos turned to his friend and asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I don't think it really was anything you or Isabella said that hurt Myra." Replied Cedric and rubbed the back of his neck as he analyzed the situation. "It seems to me that this revelation was inevitable."

"But the place isn't." countered Phobos as he got to his feet. "If we hadn't come here, then Myra wouldn't have been confronted like this. We should have had this revelation with your father or Queen Seras around; they are adults and surely would have known what to say."

"Myra wanted to come here." Cedric reminded his friend, but Phobos only shook his head.

"If I hadn't come along, then Myra would have given up on picking the locks and gone back to bed." Now, it was Cedric's turn to shake his head.

"I highly doubt Myra would have given up like that. She is a determined person and would have come back night after night to attempt her luck with the locks. Even after the revelation, she would have come here, just to see this place."

As Cedric had hopped, the Prince weakly smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I guess you are right. Now, how about we head back to bed before anyone notices we are gone and sounds the alarm."

Satisfied that they had properly explored the magical spring, the boys rushed out of the chamber, Phobos only stopping to shut the door and lock it again and rushed back to their room. It wouldn't be the last time the four royals visited the magical spring.


	12. Chapter 12

Groggily, Weria looked out the window of her study and gazed upon the changing season while Seras combed her hair; for the past week, Zaden had been sending one specialist after another to her and each came with the same result. Each doctor explained that it would be next to impossible for her to have a second child. Yet, every night Zaden insisted they try for another; by this point, Weria was physically exhausted and felt a strange pain deep within her that she hadn't felt since her wedding night. Seras knew the troubles Zaden was dragging Weria through and felt like she should intervene, however, whenever she tried to bring the subject up, Weria shut her down. Still, the nagging feeling wouldn't let Seras rest. As careful as she could, Seras tried to start another conversation. "The season is changing fast, soon it will snow. Oh, how I missed Winter in Meridian, the snow, the warm fires, the smell of the cold Winter air, and the taste of Winter treats. Do you think the old man in the village still makes those baked apples?"

"I don't know." Replied Weria, a little lost in memories of her and Seras as children playing in the snow. "I hope so. Maybe we can ask a servant to go and find out."

"Well, even if he doesn't make those apples anymore, I am still glad to spend Winter here with you. My children have never spend Winter outside of Ero and I am sure Phobos will be happy to have them here. Can you imagine the snowball fights the children will get into?"

"I hope they won't get too rambunctious." Replied Weria and kept her eyes set on the garden outside the window, partly longing to be outside, but the study was the safest place for her; here no one, not even Zaden could bother her unless she let them near her.

"Weria, they are children. How bad could the trouble be they could get themselves into? Besides, all of them are well behaved and your son could easily handle anything they could get themselves into. From what I have noticed, he is very capable with magic."

"That might be so, but I remember how we were as children and we weren't exactly easy." Weria tried to laugh, but the slightest chuckle caused a wave of pain to run through her lower abdomen and she instinctively winced and clutched her stomach. Automatically, Seras pulled Weria close so the Queen could lean against her chest as though Weria was another one of her children.

"Weria, why are you doing this to yourself?" her voice was filled with concern and she gently stroked Weria's caramel-colored hair.

"The kingdom needs a proper heir and it is my duty as its' queen to provide one." Weria hissed as she tried to suppress the stinging sensation in her body.

"Weria, anyone of your subjects could see that you are suffering. You might have an obligation, but there is only so much you can do; if they saw you like this, I am sure none of your subjects would expect you to produce another heir when you already have a capable child." Seras tried to reason with her friend. By some miracle, Weria seemed to consider her friend's concern this time; perhaps her constant pleading had finally worn Weria's reserves down. Near tears, Weria buried her face in her friend's breast.

"Oh Seras, I don't know what to do. I know my son would be a good king, but there is a tradition to uphold. Besides, what if the legend is true? Phobos was born on Oro Mortis Day after all."

"Your son did not choose the day he was born on and neither did you; as for the traditions, that is all they are, traditions. It isn't the law that you have to give birth to a daughter and there have been kings since Oro's time. Weria, you are not serving your kingdom by killing yourself to uphold this tradition."

"Seras, why are you so adamant that Phobos becomes king? Are you planning something?" Weria joked and tried to smile through the pain.

"Weria, I am concerned about your health and safety. If I could, I would move the stars if it meant you could have a girl, but I can't. All I can do is advise you as a close friend and cousin. Weria, I love you and I don't want to lose you." Said Seras while choking back tears. Every word she said was true; she would give anything to keep Weria happy but knew there was little she could do. Unlike Weria, Seras wasn't born with a variety of powers; all she could really do is conjure fire and levitate. Now, she would give up both powers and her crown to obtain the power of healing so she could help her friend. Just like Seras, Weria was choking back tears. She knew Zaden was concerned for her, but his main priority was the wellbeing of the kingdom; no matter how much he loved her, his title demanded she takes second place in his mind. Having someone with her, whose main concern was her, felt like a rare treat.

XXXXX

In the library, the royal children were, once again, forced to endure hours of quiet study. This time, the quiet study was worse than before; Myra was still upset about the incident with the magical spring. In the past days, Myra's mood had been easy to ignore, since Xavier was keeping them busy with lectures and various practices. However, at this point, the quietness made Phobos itch to apologize to Myra, but he didn't know for what; he couldn't remember doing or saying anything wrong and Cedric had assured him that the problem was with Myra and not him. Still, he missed the mischief Myra would cause when things got too boring and he wanted to find a way for things to return to normal. Taking a quick look around to make sure Lord Xavier wasn't within earshot, Phobos leaned closer to Myra, who was sitting opposite of him at the library table.

"Myra, is something wrong?" he tried to keep his voice barely above a whisper.

"No, I am just busy." She replied in a flat tone and kept her eyes on the book she was reading.

"Are you mad at me?" asked the Prince, he knew there was something he had to do to fix this.

"No, I am not mad at you, I am busy studying. Not everything revolves around you." Myra kept her eyes fixed on the book, but her mind was elsewhere. Luckily, stepping to his defense, Isabella lightly kicked her sister's seat.

"Myra, don't be mean because you couldn't feel the water tickle you." Myra, in return, glared at her sister before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"I am sorry. It is true, I am upset about the fact I couldn't feel the water. All this time I thought I was a late bloomer, but it seems I'll just be a plain human. Nothing special about me."

"That is just a big, fat, lie." Interjected Phobos, who was unable to understand Myra's way of thinking. Myra only raised an eyebrow at her cousin before the Prince continued. "You are brave, otherwise you wouldn't have stuck your fingers into a shapeshifters mouth, and you are creative. Not to mention your idea to sneak out at night and go to the magical spring in the basement. If it weren't for you, Cedric would have never told us about his abilities, and I would not have found out I can open locks. So, stop thinking so poorly of yourself and of the things you can't do; those things won't do you any good."

"Spoken like a true Prince." Chimed Cedric and gently patted Myra's shoulder. "I fully agree with your cousin; there is so much you can do than things you can't do."

Myra only gave a weak smile before dropping her gaze to the book in her hands. "Still, I think it sucks that you three have some form of ability and I don't. It just doesn't seem fair."

"You yourself said that life isn't fair." Replied Cedric and carefully took the book from her hands; worried that she might start to cry since her mood seemed so sour. Myra only shrugged her shoulders and let the Lord's son take the book from her hands; she couldn't concentrate on reading it anyway. Isabella thought for a moment before jumping from her seat and began trying to drag Myra out of her's.

"You need distractions!" cried the little Princess excitedly as she managed to pull her sister off the chair.

"Where are we going to go? There is nothing to do in the garden." Muttered Myra and tried to pull her arm free of her sister's iron-like grip.

"We can go to the village. It is a bit of a walk, but there is always something to do or see." Suggested Cedric excitedly, since he hadn't been able to visit the village in months; however, his smile quickly dropped, and his shoulders slumped. "But, my father would notice if we left. We would barely make it off the castle grounds before someone would sound the alarms. Plus, we would be recognized in the village."

Phobos's shoulders slumped as well; Cedric's idea of sneaking out to see the village seemed so exciting. The young Prince had never been off castle grounds and desperately wanted to see the village that he saw from the castle towers closer. If only there was a way they could make it appear like they were here, studying, while also having fun in the village. If only they could split themselves in half, thought the Prince. Frustrated, Phobos attempted to return his attention to the book he was reading, but it was useless; his mind was fixated on seeing the village and it wouldn't stop bothering him that he, and his friends, were stuck in what was a golden cage. With a heavy huff, Phobos got up from his seat and marched to one of the large library windows from where he could see the edge of the village. The Prince's pondering was cut short when he heard a quiet gasp behind him; turning around, he found his friends staring wide-eyed at the seat he had recently occupied and, somehow, was still sitting in. There, in the seat he had recently left, was a duplicate of him staring at the book he had been trying to read.

"It is an astrodrop." Gasped Cedric and leaned a little closer to inspect the copy of his friend. Carefully, Myra tapped the spot in front of the copy, but it didn't respond.

"It isn't an astrodrop. It is just an illusion." Corrected the black-haired Princess as she reached across the table and waved her hand through the copy; it passed through as though the copy was made of fog. "If it were an astrodrop, then it would respond, and I couldn't put my hand through it."

"What is an astrodrop?" Asked Phobos in a hushed tone as he carefully approached the copy of himself, worried that it might attack.

"An astrodrop is like an intelligent copy of yourself; like splitting your consciousness in two so you can be in two places at the same time. However, this isn't one; it is still amazing how you did that. How did you do it?" asked Cedric as he attempted to touch the illusion, his hand passed through it just like Myra's had.

"I was thinking how great it would be if we could split in two so we would see the village while still being here." Replied Phobos while curiously trying to poke his duplicate.

"Try it on me!" cried Myra quietly and waved her cousin over. "If it worked on you, maybe you can do the same with us!" any form of bitterness was gone from the young Princess's eyes and the familiar mischievous glow returned. Phobos was unsure of how to do that since he wasn't even sure how he managed to make a double of himself. Just as he was wondering how he was going to replicate his cousin, the voice returned to him; it was like a cool, quiet, winter breeze running through the back of his mind.

Take her hand and think of two. It is all you need to do. Take her hand and think of two.

Concentrating on the instructions the voice was giving him, Phobos took Myra's hand and pulled her out of her seat; just as he had hoped, there was a second Myra sitting in the seat and staring at an open book on the table. Myra, astonished at the trick her cousin could do, excitedly clapped her hands and tried to remain as quiet as possible so their plan wouldn't be foiled too soon. By this point, Isabella was excitedly jumping in her seat and whispering. "Me next. Me next."

"Then me," added Cedric, a bright smile on his face and his fangs starting to show as he was starting to be unable to control his emotions. He was nervous and excited at the same time. "I know how we can sneak off castle grounds."

"You do?" asked Myra as Phobos was concentrating on making a double of Isabella.

"Yes, I do. There is a spot in the garden that is overgrown with roses. Behind the roses is a hole in the wall. I sometimes use it to sneak into the woods to study the plant-life in the nearby woods." Now, it was Cedric's turn; Phobos had managed to make a duplicate of Isabella. The moment Phobos took hold of Cedric's wrist, Cedric felt a strange spark running up his arm; it only lasted a moment and Cedric was sure he had simply imagined it as Phobos pulled him out of his seat, leaving a nearly perfect duplicate of him in his seat.

"There, I did my part. Now, you show us the hole in the wall we can escape through." Said Phobos before realization dawned on Myra.

"Wait, how are we going to blend in? Aren't we dressed a bit too formal?"

"Too formal?" Phobos raised an eyebrow and looked down at the clothes he was wearing. To him, they were anything but formal; they were certainly not fancy enough to greet guests or be invited to a dinner party. "We aren't dressed formally at all."

"Myra is right." Replied Cedric and scratched the back of his head in contemplation. "We are dressed way to fancy to fit into the crowd in the village. However, I have a few cloaks from retired servants we could use. I can use the servant's corridors to fetch them; honestly, the hardest part is getting to the village and back before my father notices that we are gone." As quick as a flash, Cedric dashed to a faraway corner of the library where a small door was hidden between two old bookcases; for a second, Phobos thought about following his friend as he had never noticed the tiny door and was curious where the door would lead, but he stopped himself; he lived in this castle and would have all his life to explore the hidden corridors. After a few minutes, Cedric returned with four, generously worn, cloaks made out of very course fabric. The cloaks were very large on the young royals and Isabella's practically dragged half of her's around the floor, but it hid their lavish clothing and provided a bit of warmth against the dropping temperatures outside.

As quietly as they could, the young royals raced down to the first floor of the library where an ornate, glass, door leading to the garden. Looking over their shoulders as they went, the four children navigated their way to the spot where Cedric claimed their escape lay; all the while, Phobos's heart was nearly jumping out of his chest, he was so excited. Finally, for the first time in his life, he would leave the comforts of the castle and see the village up-close that he had only been able to see from a distance. His young mind raced with the idea of what life in the village was like and what they might see when they got there; he was only snapped out of his fantasies when he bumped into Cedric, who had stopped and pointed to a spot in the garden wall.

"There it is," carefully, like a curtain, Cedric pulled a few of the vines and roses aside to reveal an opening just big enough for a child to fit through. "After you."

Unsure, Phobos looked over his shoulder at Myra and Isabella, secretly hoping one of them would push past him and go first. To his dismay, Myra shooed him to go first so he had no choice but to go first. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and stepped through. He didn't quite know what to expect when he emerged on the other side; part of him thought that the moment he stepped off castle grounds, that alarms would go off and they would be swarmed by guards, but nothing happened and when he opened his eyes, they were treated to the sight of untreated wilderness. From what his eyes could collect, the sun gave the dying leaves a golden glow and the moss hung on the branches like silk curtains; he could feel the untamed wilderness emanating from the tree line a few feet from the garden wall. His attention was only torn from the sight when he felt a tap on his shoulder; it was Myra. "I know a forest is a pretty sight, but we need to get going before someone spots us."

"Myra is right," said Cedric as he pulled himself through the hole. "Please follow me, I know a path that is pretty out of sight and still leads to the village."

With a growing smile on his face, Phobos obediently followed his new friend as Cedric quickly lead them past the gap between wall and forest and onto a narrow forest path. As they walked, Phobos could barely keep his eyes on the path; with every step further, the young Prince saw more and more things that he had only read of in books. On one old oak, he spotted a beetle the size of his fist with a shimmering green and red carapace munching on moss; beyond some bushes, he potted a small pond nearly hidden under water-lettuce with a swarm of fat, black, flies buzzing in a cloud above it; in the crown of another tree he spotted an abandoned nest decorated with long, black and white, feathers; all of this was bathed in a golden light as the sun peered through the yellowing leaf's. In a way, Phobos felt like he was dreaming; the sight was so mesmerizing that the walk from the castle to the village seems to pass by within seconds. All too soon, the scenery changed from wild foliage to tame shrubs as buildings began to crowd the area; however, Phobos was not sad to see the forest surrender to civilization as the village was just as interesting to him. The houses were made of wood and stone with thatched roofs, on top of which cozy chimneys billowed out thick plumes of smoke. The streets were made of dirt and cobblestones and were filled with music from a band of street musicians playing a jaunty tune. Passing by several civilians, Phobos had to admit to himself that Cedric and Myra were right; if it hadn't been for the heavy cloaks, they would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the people dressed in plain wool cloths; some of which looked as coarse and itchy as the cloaks they wore. Soon, the small group reached the center of the village where vendors were selling their goods by shouting about the quality and low price; Phobos was surprised how cheap some of the goods were and reached into his pocket where he carried three gold coins, two silver, and five copper. The three gold coins were enough to purchase all the goods from half the stand surrounding them; surely his parents would be pleased with him if he brought them something from the village while stimulating the economy of the kingdom with his purchase. His train of thoughts was once again interrupted when Cedric tugged on his arm.

"I heard this is your first time out of the castle, but you still shouldn't get lost in thought like that. If you get caught, people might think you are weird in the head." Instead of listening to his friend, Phobos asked.

"Do you think we should buy something to take with us?" Both Myra and Cedric were looking at Phobos with confused and worried expressions.

"We are not supposed to be out here in the first place. We can't risk the adults finding evidence on us." Replied Myra, but Phobos only shook his head.

"And if we are caught, what should we do then? At least we would have something to offer as an apology in case we get caught and, if we don't get caught, then we have a souvenir of our adventure."

"I like that idea." Isabella's light voice chimed in and Myra's resolve melted away. She simply had to admit that her cousin's reasoning was sound; besides, she was sure her mother mentioned enjoying a certain baked fruit available in this village. Cedric, on the other hand, was a little more worried.

"We can come here more often if you like." He offered to his royal friend. "All you have to do is make duplicates of us and I can lead the way."

"Phobos is right." Replied Myra before Phobos could say a word. "It wouldn't hurt to buy something small. Plus, our mother said she likes the baked apples from this village, and she would just be tickled pink if we brought her some."

Cedric only bit his tongue and gave up; Isabella wasn't going to side against her sister and both Myra and Phobos had made up their mind. He would have had an easier time stopping a flood. Slowly, the small group walked around the village-square and took in the sights and sounds. One vendor sold fish and, despite claiming the fish was fresh from the local river, smelled of algae and decaying clams. Another vendor sold vegetables that were still partly covered in dirt. Yet another vendor sold freshly baked loaves of bread; however, the smell of the fresh goods didn't mix well with the scent of fish and dirt from his neighbors. Still, the baker didn't seem to mind the smell that was ruining the scent of his goods. After a few minutes of walking around, Myra took the lead as she seemed to follow a specific scent; like a hunting dog, Myra followed the scent through the busy streets of the village. Finally, the young Princess looked over her shoulder at her friends and asked. "Does that smell like baked fruits to you?"

"All I can smell is the fish from the monger." Replied Cedric and rubbed his nose.

"What do baked fruit smell like?" asked Phobos

"They smell like bread and fruit." Replied Isabella innocently, but Phobos didn't know what to do with that information. Myra only shook her head at his question; she couldn't believe someone could be that sheltered. Writing her cousin off as a lost cause, the young Princess continued to follow the scent of warm fruits and soon located a stand by a simple cabin staffed by a single man feeding his infant pieces of mushed apple. Confidently, Myra strode up to the table in front of the cabin, followed by her friends, and addressed the man.

"Are you the one selling baked apples?" surprised, the man snapped his attention from his infant to the young lady who addressed him.

"Well, hello there young lady. Yes, I am the one selling baked apples. Would you be interested in purchasing some?" before Myra could respond, Isabella spotted the infant under the table.

"A baby!" she cheered and jumped in place while clapping her hands. The infant only looked at the girl in confusion while Cedric looked like he hopped the ground would open and swallow him whole. Phobos knelt down to look under the table at the infant and gave it a friendly wave.

"Hello." The infant looked back at Phobos, mimicked the gesture and returned the greeting the best his infant lips could.

"Hewo."

"What is its' name?" asked Isabella while trying to catch the infant's attention, but the child was busy waving back at Phobos in a continuous loop of returning the gesture.

"His name is Caleb and I am his father Julian." Answered the man with a warm smile as he saw the two boys waving at each other. "And it seems he already made friends with your brother. Now that you know mine and my son's name, what are yours? I haven't seen you four around here."

Myra only froze for a moment before her mind worked up a convincing story. "We aren't from around here and are only traveling through. My name is Mirabel," she then gestured to Isabella, "this is my little sister Isia, my little brother Philip, and my brother Corbyn." Myra gestured to Phobos and Cedric; The young Prince broke his play with baby Caleb long enough to offer Julian a smile and a wave before returning his attention to the baby, who was happily waving at the young Prince.

"Well, it certainly is nice to meet you and your siblings, Mirabel. Now, how do you know I sell baked apples if you are only passing by?" asked Julian as he turned his attention to a basket containing the goods.

"Mother said she used to enjoy them when she was my age." Replied Myra, finally deciding to give the baby a friendly wave.

"Oh, then she must have been a customer of my father. He used to make them every year, but he passed away a while ago; I only took over his hobby because people said they missed them. I heard they taste very similar to the ones he used to make, so I hope your mother enjoys them just as much."

"Oh, I am sure she will." Replied Myra and pulled a plain-white handkerchief from the pocket of her dress. "Now, how much for six apples?"

"I'll make you an offer and only charge you for half, so three half-Draggma." Before Myra could search her pockets, Phobos reached into his own, pulled out the five copper coins, and set them on the table.

"Are those enough?" Julian looked down at the coins in amazement as he hadn't expected the children to carry this much.

"Oh, those are more than enough," he replied and picked out two coins, opting to add another apple to the bundle instead of going through the hassle of splitting the coins, before handing the rest back the children along with their order. "I hope you four enjoy your time in Meridian, usually the weather isn't this nice."

"Thank you, sir and we will." Replied Myra as she took the bundle of apples and tapped her cousin's shoulder. "We have to go now, say goodbye to the baby."

Phobos pouted at Myra but did as he was told and waved goodbye to Caleb and Julian; Julian smiled and returned the gesture before the crowed became too dense to see them. As the children walked away from Julian and Caleb, Cedric cleared his throat to catch his friend's attention. "Now that we have something from here, we should start returning to the castle before my father realizes that we are missing. My father might be lacks when it comes to private study hours, but he isn't dumb and will notice us missing the moment he has enough of his pipe and wants to lecture us about something."

Little did the Lord's son know, their absence was already noticed.

AUTHORS NOTE: I am so sorry for the lack of updates. I have been busy going through Military Basic Training: that failed because of inflamed Achilles' tendon and my poor skills at shooting. My last day at Basic was Tuesday and now I am back on the job hunt. All I can say, is that I tried my best balancing Basic and creative writing, but there simply wasn't enough time in the day. I'll try to get back on a normal schedule, but that might still take a while. I hope the wait wasn't too long and that you are still interested in reading my stories. Honestly, your reviews are the only thing keeping me motivated right now. Please enjoy.


	13. Chapter 13

On their way back to the castle through the nearly overgrown forest path, most of the young royals enjoyed their treat of baked apples and chatted about how busy the village was. It had been a few days since Oro Mortis and, from what Myra and Isabella knew about their kingdom, the village should have calmed down by now. With giggles at the edge of their voices, the children passed theories amongst each other.

"I bet they think it is our cousin's birthday today. That is what happened with me and my birthday." Suggested Myra as she remembered the time the kingdom celebrated her birthday an entire week after it happened because it wasn't announced properly when she was born.

"Maybe it is a big trade event or a band of travelers just arrived." Replied Phobos because he couldn't believe anyone had even remembered his birthday.

"It is none of these. I heard a rumor that the Guardians are going to visit Meridian soon." Cedric interjected and finished the rest of his apple. Surprised, Phobos turned to his friend and asked.

"Who are the guardians?"

"You don't know the Guardians?" Cedric was surprised, but the dumbfounded look on his friend's face confirmed this fact. "The guardians are designated protectors of the Veil and Kandakar from evil forces. How can you not know about them?"

At this, the young Prince only shrugged; he wasn't sure how to explain to his friends that he could not know about something that he had never heard of. Furthermore, he wasn't sure if he hadn't heard of the guardians before and simply forgotten or if he had truly never heard of them. Curiously, he asked. "How do they fight evil and where is Kandraka?"

"Kandraka is a palace of light between worlds and the guardians are a group of five powerful individuals, each with the ability to control a natural element. Their leader is normally the one to control energy." Explained Myra as she finished her apple; at this, Cedric pointed to the young Princess before returning his attention to his friend.

"Even Myra knows about the guardians. How could you not know about them? You should have known about them especially since the current Oracle originated from Meridian."

"Who is the Oracle?" asked the Prince, which earned him another dumbfounded look from Cedric. The Lord's son simply couldn't understand how he knew so much more about Kandraka than the Prince, who had experienced a higher level of education. Seeing that there was no way to continue this conversation, Cedric simply gave up and turned his attention to the path ahead of them. However, the group's moment of silence lasted only a minute before they heard calls and shouts in the distance; surprise, the group stopped in their tracks causing Isabella to almost run into her sister. Carefully, they listened as the calls came closer and more defined; slowly the color drained from the young royals as they realized it was their names being called.

Their absence had been noticed.

Frantically, the four of them raced down the path as fast as their feet would carry them. Noticing Isabella struggling to keep up with them, Phobos slowed down just enough to pick her up and carry her with them. So caught up were the children in rushing back to the castle that they ran right into the arms of a searching guard.

"I CAUGHT THEM!" shouted the guards as his grip on children tightened when they tried to struggle free from the guard's burly arms.

"LET US GO!" cried Myra before sinking her teeth into his arm as hard as she could. The guard let out a cry of pain and pushed the girl away just as the rest of the search party arrived, allowing another guard to grab the young Princess.

"Careful, she bites." Said the guard to his comrade holding the girl before returning his attention to the three royals in his arms; who were still struggling to get free. "You four have no idea the trouble you are in."

No matter how much they struggled, the children were unable to free themselves and were led back to the castle, where a furious Lord Xavier was waiting for them. He had been worried sick over his son since realizing that the children in the library were just illusions. Part of him was relieved to learn that his son was safe and unharmed, but he nearly choked on his own rage at how the children had disobeyed him. With his cheeks red with anger and his foot tapping in impatience he glared down at the four royals brought before him by the guards.

"Where were you four?" he asked with venom dripping from his voice.

"Nowhere important." Replied Myra in defiance, but Cedric wasn't able to lie to his father.

"We went to the nearby village." Answered Cedric while shamefully staring down at his feet; he knew his father had a beating waiting for him that evening and only hoped he would still be able to sit afterward.

"And how did you get off the castle grounds? Furthermore, which one of you had the idea to use astral projections to escape?" Asked Xavier as his cheeks turned an even darker shade of red; before Cedric had the chance to answer Phobos spoke-up to save his friend.

"It was my doing!" Phobos could hardly control his outburst and knew the more he spoke, the more he would be digging his own grave. After taking a deep breath, he continued. "I didn't know it could astral project that was an accident. However, I thought it would be an excellent way to test my ability as well as fulfill mine, and the wishes of my cousins, to explore the kingdom. It wasn't Cedric, Isabella, or Myra's fault; the blame is all mine and I am sorry for any heartache this might have caused. I gave Cedric no choice but to accompany me in this endeavor." With every word, the young Prince uttered the deeper the shade of red became on the Lord's face. Once the Prince had come to the end of his story, the Lord grabbed hold of the young Prince's shoulder and dragged him away to Queen Weria's private study, where the Queen, King Zaden, and Queen Sears waited for news on the missing children.

Without knocking, the Lord entered the study with the Prince nearly dragging on the floor behind him.

"The flown birds have returned to the nest." Announced the Lord as he presented the Prince like a trophy to the Queen and King; Queen Weria appeared relieved, but King Zadan was red in the face and, if nature allowed it, fume would have risen off the King's head. Seeing an opportunity for the Prince to be taught a lesson by his father, the Lord continued. "Apparently, the Prince found it hilarious to take the princesses and my son on a stroll to the local village."

"You have done well Lord Zadan. Please excuse yourself so we can hear the full story from the Prince himself." Ordered Zadan in a calm voice that was only a preamble to the storm brewing on the horizon; with a low bow, the Lord excused himself from the room with a satisfied smirk on his face, leaving the Prince alone with the adults.

"Who gave you permission to leave the castle ground?" asked Zadan, never allowing the Prince to tell his side of the story.

"It was a spur of the moment decision-"was all the Prince was able to utter before Zadan snapped.

"You call that an excuse?" if looks could kill, Phobos was sure he would have been struck dead then and there. "I recall that no one gave you or the other's permission to leave. Do you have any idea the panic your actions have caused?"

At the King's tone, Phobos shrank back a bit. He hadn't thought their little adventure would cause this much trouble; after all, they were gone for less than an hour. With his voice shaking from fear and shame, he answered even when he knew no answer was needed. "N-no sure, I do not know the amount of trouble my actions have caused."

"Why am I not surprised?" replied Zadan with his arms waving dangerously near the Prince's face as though he was holding himself back from striking the boy. "First you allow the garden pathway to be defaced to play a game, then you endanger the Lord's son trying to impress him with your levitation tricks, and now you kidnap both our allies' only children and our Lord's son! Is there anything other than mischief buzzing around that skull of yours?"

"I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to see the village. It looked so peaceful from a distance." The Prince tried to explain, but it only served to infuriate the King even more.

"I bet you'd think a battle looks like a party from a distance as well, wouldn't you?" Zadan snapped as he struggled more and more not to strangle the Prince. That was when Queen Seras chimed in, trying to calm the tempers of the King as it was taking a negative effect on Weria, who was beginning to hyperventilate.

"King Zadan, the past two offenses have been resolved. This is just another example of children making childish mistakes. He became curious and no one was injured; besides, Weria and I used to sneak out of the castle all the time when we were young." Immediately, Zadan forgot about Phobos and turned his anger to Seras, who wasn't intimidated by his rage at all and kept her arms crossed in stoic defiance.

"Do not try to excuse his actions. He is royalty and should know better than to partake in suck childish actions. How is he supposed to set an example for the kingdom if he acts like a peasant?"

"How is any peasant supposed to relate to him if he didn't partake in such actions? I wouldn't respect a role model if I can't relate to them. Besides, I doubt he would have been foolish enough to reveal his identity on his first visit; isn't that so?" she asked the Prince who vigorously nodded his head.

"The common folk doesn't have to relate to him to see him as a role model. He is a prince and the peasants have no choice but to look up to him." Zadan tried to reason, but Seras only shook her head.

"You know as well as I, that is never going to occur."

Looking between his wife and Seras, Zadan quickly realized he wasn't going to win this battle and decided to leave before his rage got the better of him and he accidentally declared war on his closed ally. As he left the study, as he pushed past the Prince and shoved the young boy hard enough that Phobos lost his footing and fell backward; before he hit the ground, the side of his head collided with the edge of a low reading table, inflicting a wound which bleed severely but wasn't life-threatening. When the door loudly shut behind the King, Seras turned her attention to Weria, in the hopes that her friend would act the way a mother should and treat her child's injuries before tearing into her husband; however, this hope was quickly squashed when the pale-faced Queen simply sat on the sofa with a look of disinterest on her face. Biting back a string of curses, Seras rushed to the injured Prince and helped the boy to his feet before wiping the blood from his face.

"Everything is going to be alright little one." She said in a vain attempt to comfort the child before her, who was desperately trying to keep from crying. "It is just a small cut; I am sure it doesn't even need stitches. Just some ice and a bandage-"

"I am sorry for causing you and the kingdom such concerns. I will never disobey again. Please forgive my poor actions." Muttered the Prince before rushing out of the room to keep the queens from seeing him cry; he wasn't shedding tears from the pain or from the verbal tongue lashing he received from his father, but from seeing how his mother sat with inadvertence while he was injured. From the way another queen came to his aid, he could surmise that his mother's actions weren't normal, so he reasoned that he had displeased his mother to the point she no longer cared for him.

His head hurt and his father's words rang in his ears over and over like the song of an annoying bird. He just wanted to hide in his room, hurt, and hope that the world would be right by the next day. Considering the throbbing in his head, he was sure he couldn't continue with his studies for the rest of the day. Once he reached his room, he locked the door and was about to throw himself onto his bed when he caught his reflection in a mirror. Blood was running down his face and had dropped over his eyes to mix with the tears on his cheek, giving him the appearance of crying blood. Knowing he would get into further trouble if he soiled the sheets with his blood, he filled the washbowl on his dresser with clean water and washed his face the best he could. After the water in the bowl turned pink with is blood, he looked at his reflection; the cold water had helped slow the bleeding and he got a clear view of the cut. As the Queen had said, it was small and would heal without leaving a mark or needing stitches. Instead of going to the infirmary, Phobos pressed the damp washcloth to the cut before falling onto his bed, simply wishing for the day to pass quickly.

Back in the study, Seras turned to her friend with a fury that would put Zadan's to shame.

"What piss poor excuse of a mother are you?" she hissed between clenched teeth. Weria simply looked at her friend and asked.

"What do you mean?" earlier that day, Weria had taken some medication to combat her internal pain, but that was little of an excuse to Seras. She too had been in pain several times and had taken medication hat fogged her mind; however, even in her most clouded moments, she managed to aid and talk with her children. To Seras, Weria had no excuses for her actions.

"What do I mean? Your husband just injured your son. Your child was bleeding on the ground and you did nothing!"

"Phobos disobeyed the rules we set out for him. Furthermore, I am sure Zadan didn't mean to hurt Phobos." Replied Weria with a slur, on the verge of falling over; luckily, Seras was there to grab her shoulders and shake her.

"Accident or not, your son was injured. Furthermore, you and I used to sneak out all the time when we were children and we were never punished the way your son is. This is his first offense; at the most, he should have gotten a stern talking and nothing more."

"Weren't you as worried as I when you learned your daughters were missing? I am surprised how lenient you are with Prince Phobos's actions." At her friend's words, Seras felt a sting in her chest that would overwhelm her and strangle her friend, if there hadn't come a knock on the study door.

"Come in." was Seras response as she let go of her friend, but still shot the Queen a venomous glare. Slowly and carefully, the study door opened and Myra, along with Isabella, peeked their head in with worried expressions on their young faces. In a cold and steady voice, the Ero Queen addressed her daughters. "Myra, Isabella, good you two are here. We have to discuss your actions."

"Are we in trouble?" asked Myra in a hushed voice; she had barely ever seen her mother this angry and we, naturally, very intimidated.

"Perhaps." Was Seras response, her cold tone never faltering.

"Is Phobos in trouble?" asked Isabella with a quivering voice that indicated she was near tears.

"He did take full responsibility, why do you ask?" From the way her daughters were asking, she knew there was more to the story than what the Lord had told them. In addition, Seras simply couldn't believe their exertion was completely the Prince's idea. "Do you have something to confess?"

"Phobos isn't at fault!" Myra blurted out before she could stop herself and fully think her words through. With Seras's suspicions confirmed, she simply raised an eyebrow at her daughters and expected them to continue' when they remained silent, she urged them. "It is important to elaborate on your accounts if you wish to help your cousin."

"It was my idea to go." Myra continued after taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. "We were so bored in the library and then Cedric suggested that we could go to the village, but he dropped that subject because he knew we wouldn't be able to get off the castle grounds. We were going to forget about it, but then Phobos discovered his ability to make astral projections and everything got so fast from there." Her eyes then fell to the ground; she didn't want to accidentally reveal the hole in the garden wall, in case they could sneak out in the future. "We helped each other over the wall and went to the village in disguise. I am sorry. I am the oldest one in the group and should have known better."

"You are not to blame." Weria's voice chimed in from the sofa. Surprised the two princesses looked up at their host. "Phobos is the Prince of this kingdom and knows the rules of this house. He should know better than to act upon such reckless impulses."

"But it was mine and Cedric's idea. If it weren't for me, Phobos would have never gone out of the library. Even if he refused to help us escape, I would have annoyed him until he gave in." She then pulled out the cloth containing the remaining baked apples. "Plus, we didn't go just to disobey. I remembered how my mother told stories of this place and I remembered how she enjoyed the baked apples from the old man. The old man isn't alive anymore, but his son had picked up the hobby."

Carefully, as though the apples were made of fragile glass, Myra placed the baked goods on the table in front of the sofa where the Queen was sitting. "We are sorry, but I hope this makes up a little for our actions. Our identity wasn't discovered and Phobos paid for them."

Looking between her friend, her daughters, and the apples Seras sighed and waved off her daughter. "You two are excused for now. Go to your rooms and I'll come back to you for your punishments. I have to discuss something with our host." With bowed heads, the princesses excused themselves to their rooms; once they were alone again, Seras turned to her friend. Weria stared down at the apples with tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. Earlier, she had convinced herself that her son deserved a proper punishment and, when her son got injured, she had inwardly told herself that he had deserved it. Now that she knew it wasn't fully his fault, Weria felt rotten over the way she treated her only child.

"No need to feel bad now." Said Seras with her arms crossed. "What is done is done. Now, your son is injured and probably crying in his room, thinking that you no longer want him."

"Am I really that bad of a mother?" asked Weria with a quivering voice, the fog of the medication beginning to lift from her mind.

"Yes." Was Seras blunt response; she didn't move from her spot or uncross her arms when Wera broke down sobbing. In the past, the Ero Queen would drop any argument once Weria began to cry, but now that they were both queens and mothers, her resolve had strengthened and she wasn't going to find excuses for her friend anymore.

"Seras, what do I do? How did it all come to this?" asked the Meridian Queen between body-shaking sobs. The clearer her mind became the more she hated how she let her husband treat her son. Part of her knew what she had to do, but another part was uncertain and was silently begging Seras to aid her. However, when none came, Weria felt more lost than ever before.

"You tell me. How did you allow all this to happen? You are the Queen of this kingdom, Phobos is your only child, and your husband isn't even from Meridian. Considering all the evidence, why have you let it come to this? I know you never truly loved Zadan enough to allow him to treat you and your family like this." Seras said in a stone-cold voice that further confirmed that Weria was going to receive no help from her; she had to figure this out on her own.

"Zadan is a good husband and a great King. He is just worried about the future and you were worried about your children as well. They could have gotten hurt or kidnapped."

"Are those excuses you are telling me or excuses you are telling yourself?" Seras cut in before Weria could come up with more excuses. From the way Weria was grasping at straws, Seras could sense there were many things her dear friend wasn't telling her; this breakdown was just the first step to uncover all of Weria's secrets that were troubling her. In a way, Seras hoped that once all the secrets were out in the open, that all of Weria's troubles would be resolved.

"I…I don't know." Was all Weria could say.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Okay, so the Corona Virus has struck my town and everyone is told to stay home unless we have a doctor's appointment or need to get groceries, which should mean I have a lot of time on my hands to update these stories. I hope you all stay healthy and I hope that my stories allow you a small escape from reality.

The day came and went before the young Prince noticed it was day and time for another lesson. Groggily, the young boy poked at his breakfast before heading to the library where his friend and cousins were waiting. He didn't mean to keep them waiting, but he had sept a good half hour poking at the cut on his head; it was red and swollen but had crusted over the way it should. The first thing Phobos noticed were the iron bars on the doors and windows of the library, casting shadows across the room as though they were in a birdcage. The second thing he noticed was the miserable expression on his friend's faces. Myra and Isabella were hunched over the large oak desk, busily writing and rewriting the rules they were told to follow before arriving. Of the three, Cedric appeared the most miserable; with a cringed expression, the Lord's son shifted in his seat as he tried to get comfortable.

When he took his seat at the table with them, Cedric looked up and his jaw nearly hit the floor when his eyes landed on the cut on his friend's head. "Was that your punishment for yesterday?"

"I don't think I have been punished." Replied Phobos as he gingerly touched the wound. "The King pushed past me and I lost my footing. I don't think he meant to hurt me. As for my punishment, I ran to my room before I could be given one."

"Good for you." Muttered Myra, not having noticed the injury on her cousin. "Isabella and I have to write a hundred copies of the rules we were told in our best penmanship and without any mistakes. Each page with a mistake, no matter how minor, needs to be rewritten. We have been at it since breakfast, I feel like my fingers are beginning to fall off."

"And what about you?" Phobos asked his friend Cedric, who only winced as he shifted in his seat.

"My father took the paddle to my behind. I am surprised I still have a butt. He hasn't used it on me since the day I broke his favorite pipe." At his answer, Phobos winced and sucked air in sharply between clenched teeth as his own behind stung with sympathy. Their short conversation was cut short when Xavier approached the group from his place at the podium.

"I see the Prince has decided to join us for the day." His voice was cold a regal, but still amused when he noticed the cut on his pupil's head. Surely, the King and Queen had found a proper punishment for the boy and he would no longer disobey any rules from now on. "Since you decided to skip class the other day, I suggest you continue your essay on Meridian's history and, this time, I will be watching you every minute."

Secretly, Myra rolled her eyes at her teacher and muttered quietly how Xavier would watch them until his pipe called for him. With a soft tap to the boy's shoulder, Xavier returned to his place at the podium where he could comfortably watch his students while sitting in a comfortable chair and sipping a warm cup of tea. For hours, the four children sat in silence, only occasionally letting out a cough or a sigh when it was appropriate. As time began to tick by and he finished his third cup of tea, an annoying itch crept up the Lord's spine; it was his need for his pipe. At times, he regretted every picking up the habit from his father, but then he was reminded of the feathery feeling in his stomach whenever he inhaled the fumes of the burning weeds right after lighting them. It was that feeling that kept him returning to the pipe time and time again. The longer he ignored the itch, the more he became annoyed with the children and his role of guarding them. That morning, he had told himself that he wouldn't give in to his habit, but as the itch became stronger, the more he thought about sneaking a quick smoke.

You'll only be gone for a moment.

Said a quiet voice inside his head.

If you only fill your pipe halfway, you will only be gone for 5 minutes. Surely the children couldn't get into much trouble in that short of time.

The more the voice sang in his mind, the easier it became for him to give in. Reassuring himself that nothing could happen in the few minutes, stood up from his place at the podium.

"I will return in just a few minutes. I expect you, children, to behave and be in your seats when I return. Am I making myself clear?" as a response, Xavier earned the nods of the children, which only reassured him in his beliefs. With a content smile, the Lord left the children behind in the library. The moment the library doors closed behind the Lord, Myra stretched her aching shoulders and asked.

"Can we take a break? My shoulders and hands hurt. I am sure a short pause in work won't hurt."

"We can't afford to get into more trouble." Muttered Phobos as he set aside one book and opened another for his essay.

"We aren't going anywhere, and we aren't doing anything. I mean, can we just take a break to stretch and free our minds for a moment? Only focusing on work can close one's mind and make it harder to think and concentrate." Countered Myra as she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. With a heavy sigh, she stared up at tiles and asked. "How many tiles do you think were used in the making of that ceiling?"

Looking up, Cedric shrugged before returning his attention to the book he was reading on old military strategies. "I am guessing 345 tiles."

"It has to be more than that." Countered Myra, never taking her eyes off the ceiling. "There are parts of the ceiling hidden by bookshelves."

"Do those counts?" asked Cedric as his eyes rejoined Myra's on the ceiling. "They are only half tiles."

"I would count them since they are tiles and a part of the ceiling." Countered Myra as she tried to count each one separately.

"Then shouldn't you count two tiles as one, if they are only halves?" muttered Cedric as he joined Myra in counting the tiles.

Sitting in his chair, Phobos occasionally glanced at Myra and Cedric discussing the number of ceiling tiles; compared to the book he was using for his essay, the discussion his friends were having was a lot more engaging. Slowly, the voice he heard in the basement returned to his mind.

Your friend has a point. Focusing only on work will make it harder for you to work on your essay.

He had to admit that the voice was right, since the third page he was working on, he had trouble penning another word to paper. With Lord Xavier out of the room, he could allow himself a few minutes to stretch and free his mind. Looking up, he shrugged. "I say there are 350 tiles."

"That is very improbable," replied Cedric as he let out a frustrated groan because he lost count. "Great, now I lost count and have to start over."

"If you want, you can levitate up and count them." Joked Myra as she restarted her count to be fair to Cedric. Phobos slouched his shoulders and returned his gaze to the book he had been reading. Last time he levitated, his father had caught him and became cross with him. That was then the trusty voice returned.

Zadan isn't here.

You don't have to levitate to reach the ceiling.

Just walk up the wall and start counting.

The advice did sound silly, even to Phobos's young mind, but the voice never lied to him; as far as he can remember, the voice was always honest with him. It was honest with him in the basement of the castle when it told him to command the locks to open. Deciding to follow the voice's suggestion, he rose from his seat, walked over to the nearest wall, and placed his foot against it. Before his friends could ask what he was planning, Phobos lifted his other foot off the ground and now stood on the wall as though it were the ground; he couldn't even tell that he was standing on a wall instead of the marble floor of the library. It was as though, for him at least, gravity shifted with him; not even his hair or cloths indicated that he had shifted positions.

Immediately seeing an opportunity to play, the young Isabella jumped from her seat and ran up to her cousin while making a grabbing motion with her hands that indicated she wanted to join him. Without thinking if he could make others perform the same trick, he grabbed hold of his cousin's little hand and pulled her onto the wall; just like with Phobos, Isabella stood on the wall as though it were the most normal thing in the world. With wonder and amazement in his eyes, Cedric stood from his chair and approached his friend, wondering if he would do the same with him. Same as with Isabella, Phobos reached out his hand and helped his friend onto the wall; in the process, letting go of Isabella, who then proceeded to run up the wall and onto the ceiling.

"The library looks so funny from upside down." Giggled the little princes and craned her neck back to stare down at her sister. "You look so funny from up here Myra."

Finally picking up her jaw, Myra moved to reach her cousin, who was waiting for her to join them before stopping in her tracks. If Xavier came back from his break, they were certainly going to get into trouble. Thinking quickly, Myra rushed to the library doors and locked them, thinking that this would buy them a few precious minutes should the Lord return before they could return to their seat. Once the door was locked, Myra rushed to join her friends and sister.

XXXXX

While the children were discovering the simple joy and wonder of seeing the world upside down, the two Queens sat in Weria's private study. At this point, Seras was growing tired of seeing the same room day in and day out. For nearly 2 weeks, she had been staying in this study and was sure she knew every nook and cranny of the room. She knew of the nearly invisible tear in the red wallpaper where two sheets hadn't perfectly lined up. She knew of the faint spiderweb in the corner over the door that was hidden in just enough shadows to be ignored by the cleaning staff. She also knew of the secret cabinet in Weria's desk that contained an old bottle of liquor that showed signs of only recently being touched.

"Do you wish to talk about yesterday?" Asked the Ero queen as she brushed her friend's amber hair. She knew the problems concerning her friend and that there was a secret that Weria was hiding; Seras was sure she could find a way to solve all of the problems similar to a squirrel finding a way to crack a tough nut. She just needed to find a good angle.

"No, I don't want to talk about it." Was Weria's hollow response. She had attempted to discuss the incident with Zadan that night when he came to her bed, but he refused to acknowledge the accident and proceeded to pin her down instead. Weria knew she should be mad at the way Zadan was treating her, but she understood the desperation that fueled his actions. When they had married, he promised her and the kingdom that, together, they would produce a proper heir and it frustrated him that he couldn't fulfill this promise. Seras, however, was not going to be satisfied with Weria's answer.

"Well, I think it is important that you do." She continued as she started to braid her friend's hair. "I am aware that I sound like an annoying song-bird, but it is becoming more and more clear that you and Zadan won't have a second child; it is time you consider Phobos as a potential heir."

"I know, but it will be an uphill for everyone should Phobos be declared an heir." Replied Weria while picking at a loose thread from the sofa's armrest. "Most of the old families that help run this kingdom are run by female heirs and everyone will expect a queen once I die. What if they don't accept Phobos?"

"What if they do?" countered Seras as she shifted a little on the worn sofa to face her friend. "It would be better for everyone if you introduced Phobos as your heir now, while you are alive, and show your support of this action. The people look up to you and will accept it if you show you accept it."

Again, Weria had to admit that her friend was right. It would be difficult and would cost years of mending relationships, but it could be done. Then again, the doctors haven't declared her infertile; they simply said that it would be difficult and might cost Weria her life should she have another child, but she wasn't infertile. What if she declared Phobos her heir, but then had a daughter? She would cause so much hardship upon her kingdom and her son if that happened. She would fracture many relationships with prosperous families and place the pressure of ruling a kingdom on her child, all for nothing, should she have a daughter later in life. Furthermore, she wasn't sure if she could train her son to become a fit ruler; she remembered being trained by her mother, but that training was very feminine oriented. How would she go about teaching a boy?

"And what should we do, should I have a girl? The doctors haven't declared me infertile." Replied Weria, finally freeing the thread from the armrest. "Wouldn't that place a lot of pressure on Phobos only to lead to nothing."

"If you are not infertile and you keep trying with Zadan, then why haven't you conceived another child?" Seras felt as though she had struck a sore spot on her friend, but she wasn't going to pull any punches this time. "Couldn't the problem lie with Zadan?"

"No, it can't lie with him. He is a good King and very active. Certainly, the conception problems are with my body." Before Weria could continue to excuse Zadan and his actions, another sting of pain emanated from her abdomen, causing Weria to near fall of the sofa.

"If you are in so much pain, then why don't you take a break from him for one night. Certainly, your body would enjoy that." Hissed Seras as she prevented Weria from falling off the sofa.

"Zadan won't stop trying for a second child until I either conceive or die." Gasped Weria, trying to breathe as the pain slowly ebbed from a sharp sting to a low roar. "Be plans to visit my bed again tonight."

"Then share a bed with me tonight." Countered Seras as she rubbed her friend's back. "You can't conceive if your body is injured. Besides, we used to share a bed all the time when we were children, so why not now?"

"I wish it were that easy to explain to Zadan."

"Zadan this; Zadan that. You are coming up with one excuse after another for him. I say he is a terrible father; you say he is being a good father by disciplining Phobos. I say he is not a good lover if he can't give your body a break; you excuse him by explaining how desperate he is for a female heir for the kingdom. Can't you just accept his faults without finding an excuse for him." She meant every word she said to Weria. She was growing very tired of Zadan; she never liked him from the day she met him, but she didn't hate him. However, she was beginning to change her mind on that aspect.

"I'd have to discuss this with him. Certainly, he will agree to give my body a night of rest with your reasoning."

Their short moment of connecting was interrupted by a knock on the study door. It was Xavier, with a look on his face that could melt metal.

"What is the matter this time Xavier? Did the children change the room's temperature." Seras joked as the found the Lord more and more incapable of watching the children. In a way, she found it humorous how easily the children slipped his attention.

"Not quite." Replied the Lord with an angry sigh. "I leave for a minute and the children decided it would be hilarious to lock me out of the library. I have already informed the King on the matter, but I thought it wise to inform your highness as well."

The two queens exchanged worried glances, Weria over the safety of the children and Seras over the fact that Zadan had been informed, before rushing out the study and to the library where the King was already waiting for them. With a calm voice that barely masked the anger within him.

"I suspect this is Phobos's doing, once again." He then returned his attention to the door. He did not care if he broke the door as he summoned a ball of energy and blasted it at the solid oak door. A beautifully carved door that had survived for centuries now lay in splinters on the floor of the library.

The children, who were running around the main chandelier of the library, stopped in their tracks. Within seconds, Phobos's concentration broke and he, as well as the other royals, fell from the ceiling like rocks. Phobos managed to land on his feet, only causing a stinging sensation to race up his foot and into his brain; Myra and Isabella were lucky as well, having managed to hold onto the chandelier when the spell broke. The only one who suffered a stroke of misfortune was Cedric; the Lord's son was unable to land on his feet or stop his fall and roughly fell onto the desk they had been studying at. A sickening pop was heard from the boy's body before he cried out in agony while holding his right shoulder; he had dislocated it.

With a cry that mirrored his son's pain, Lord Xavier rushed over to his son, knocking Phobos over in the process, and carefully cradled his hurt child. Phobos sat on the floor, shocked at what just happened and how quickly it had. A moment ago, they were having fun, chasing each other around the chandelier, and now his friend lay crying on the library table. Zadan wasted no opportunity to grab his son by the arm and pull him to his feet to strike him across the face as hard as he could. Phobos felt the wind knocked out of him when his head violently snapped to the side; it happened so fast that he didn't even feel the pain properly. All he felt for a moment was a warm sensation as his cheek turned red.

"What were you thinking, you foolish boy?" asked Zadan as he violently shook the boy. "Do you have any idea how dangerous your actions were? You could have killed someone!"

"I was just playing. I am sorry!" The Prince managed to squeak out while he was being violently shaken like a piece of meat would be by a wild dog. Zadan's grip on the boy's arm tightened to the point his nails dug through the boy's sleeve and into his flesh.

"Please let go. You are hurting me!" cried Phobos and weakly tried to claw his father's hand off his arm, but it was futile; the King's grip was too tight. Queen Seras was unable to rush to the Prince's aid this time, as she was busy catching her children as their grip on the chandelier began to weaken. For a moment, it seemed as though no one would come for him and the Prince was certain his father was going to shake him to pieces until a familiar voice rose above that of the King's.

"Zadan stop it!" cried Weria as she pulled the Prince from the King's grip and held him tight. For a moment, she wanted to be as angry as Zadan when she saw the danger her son had put the other children in, but that anger quickly melted when she heard her boy cry out in pain and beg for mercy. The moment she heard his cries, she remembered a day when she spotted a young bird being attacked by a wild cat. The cat wasn't starving, in actuality, it was a plump cat, and didn't require the bird to survive. She remembered how the little bird cried and screeched for mercy as the cat pulled its' wings from its' body. Witnessing that had scared her for days and now that haunting memory returned and transposed itself over the scene before her. Her son was the little bird and her husband was the vicious cat; only this time, she would quietly stand by and watch.

"Weria, he put the others in danger and ruined the library ceiling. Are you going to let him get away this that?" Zadan hissed at his wife, unable to comprehend that she had interfered.

"He said they were only playing and that he is sorry. Accidents happen." She then looked over her shoulder at the crying Cedric being carried away by his father. From what she could see, the boy only suffered a hurt shoulder and should be fine after a visit to the infirmary and a week of rest. "Besides, no one seems seriously injured."

"He could have killed one of them!" Zadan's voice rose to a loud bark as his frustration with his wife grew. She had never interfered with his judgment, so why was she doing so now? He was certain it had something to do with Queen Seras's visit.

"But he didn't and so far, you have caused more damage to the library than he has!" countered Weria and pointed to the splintered door. "Now, I suggest you leave and cool your temper before I do with you as you have with that door."

Zadan looked between Weria, Phobos, and Seras before turning and leaving the room; his cheeks were a burning red color and his step was noting short of an angry march. The moment the King left the room, it seemed as though a pressure was lifted and Phobos dared to look up at his mother with teary eyes.

"I am sorry." His voice quivered and hicced in his throat. Weria only shook her head at her son and wiped a few of his tears from his face. The Prince winced a little when his mother's thumb brushed the tender flesh of his cheek.

"I know," sighed Weria, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and pride in her chest that she attributed to having stood up against Zadan for the first time in years. To her, for a brief moment, she had saved that little bird from the cat. "Try to be more careful next time."


	15. Chapter 15

The rest of the day for Weria was spent calming her sobbing child. For hours, she held and consoled her son, which was a new sensation for her. She hadn't held her child since he was a baby, and even then she only held him when she had the time for it. In a way, she enjoyed the feeling of holding something so small and fragile against her and part of her regretted not having held him sooner. Over and over, her son sobbed about how sorry he was and how he didn't mean for anyone to get hurt; that they were only playing and that he didn't even know he could walk up walls.

Weria simply listened to her son and stroked his silky hair. She knew she should scold her son, even if all she did was warn him never to be so reckless again, but she couldn't bring herself to. Perhaps seeing his friend get injured was enough; at some point towards the evening, the young Prince exhausted himself and lay sleeping in her arms. Before having a servant sent to the Prince to his room, Weria took a moment to look at her sleeping child; she had to admit that he was a very pretty boy. His cheeks were rosy, except for a small, purple, bruise where Zadan had struck him. His lashes were long and black, giving his eyes the appearance of those of a fine-china doll. His fingers, which clung to her blouse as though he were a kitten caught in a storm, were finely shaped and soft to the touch. Holding him like this, Weria couldn't help but compare him to a sleeping angle and once a servant came and took him to his room, Weria felt a strange hollow sensation in her chest that she hadn't felt before; she wondered if those were her motherly instincts crying out for her child or if it was just the day getting to her weak body.

For Weria, the day was over even if it was only 7 in the evening; all she wanted was a glass of liquor, a warm meal, a hot bath, and her bed. As she sat in the dining room with a full glass of bitter-plum liquor, wondering where Zadan was, Seras came in and joined her friend with an exhausted expression on her face.

"I guess your day went as well as mine?" muttered Weria as she swirled her glass and watched the amber liquid dance around in the glass.

"About as well. Isabella was scared senseless and Myra kept begging me to forgive Phobos. I am sure it isn't that they got caught hanging from the chandelier, but that they witnessed Zadan bust down the door and slap Phobos without hesitation." Replied Seras as she poured herself a glass of the bitter-plum liquor.

"Zadan didn't mean to scare your children, but I have to agree with you that he went a bit far this time. Part of me hopes that he only lashed out because he was worried, considering everything that has happened in the past few days." Weria continued to mutter as a dinner of roast with potatoes was served to the queens. Weria only poked at her serving while Seras heartily ate her's despite it being medium rare when she preferred well done. Seras only stopped eating once she looked up and saw that her friend was not enjoying the meal with her.

"What is the matter Weria? You know you need your strength if you plan on having another child."

"I know, but I can't enjoy the meal after everything that happened. Plus, Zadan usually has dinner with me, but I don't think that is going to happen today." Weria sighed and attempted to eat a small bite of her meal.

"I am certain I saw him join Lord Xavier for dinner tonight. I think they are going to discuss further lessons since Cedric got injured and won't be able to participate in any fencing lessons for a while." Noticing Weria's eyes filled with worry, Seras quickly continued. "There is no need for panic. The doctor said the boy dislocated his shoulder, but that it wasn't that bad, and that the boy should be fine in 2 weeks."

"At least some good news emerged today." Replied Weria, feeling a little better about the event. "Phobos was sobbing for hours about it and I am certain he didn't mean for anyone to get hurt." She then looked down at her blouse and sighed at the tear stains on the purple silk. "Poor child cried himself to sleep in my arms."

"It reminds me a little of the trouble we used to get into when we were his age." Chuckled Seras as she continued with her meal. Weria weakly smiled at the memories of her and Seras when they were her son's age.

"You mean the trouble you dragged us into?"

"If I remember correctly, it was you who caught the curtains on fire because you wanted to juggle fireballs." Corrected Seras while pointing her fork at Weria.

"And if memory suits me right, it was you who dared me." Countered Weria, her smile now brighter and a giggle hung at the edge of her voice.

"Well, we did try everything imaginable when trying to discover our abilities. However, I don't remember you or I get punished the way your son is." At this Weria had to agree; the worst she and Seras ever been punished was being placed under house arrest. Then again, there was the difference that Weria is a girl and her son, Phobos, is a boy; surely a boy could withstand worse punishments than a girl. Then again, she remembered how terrified her son was when Zadan struck him and, once again, Weria felt the hollow sensation in her chest.

"You have a point, again." Replied Weria before confessing something to her dear friend. "In all honesty, I have no idea how to raise a child. I didn't even raise Phobos, despite giving birth to him."

"Then who did?" asked Seras, shocked at the secret her friend just entrusted upon her.

"He had a nanny until recently. Zadan had her dismissed when she allowed Phobos to wreck the library a few months ago. We couldn't prove it was Phobos who did it and I believed that one of the shelves simply got unstable and fell over, but Zadan was certain he had something to do with it." Weria continued and downed another glass of the bitter liquor. "Honestly, I only ever interacted with him when he needed to be fed as a baby. In total, I'd say I spent one year with him since he was born. I held him under my heart for 9 months and I hardly know anything about him."

"Surely you have to be joking." Seras still couldn't believe her ears, but Weria only shook her head.

"I'm not. In part, I am jealous of the relationship you have with your daughters. You are a queen, a wife, and a mother of 2. How do you manage to raise your children on your own and run a kingdom while I can't?"

"I have to admit, it wasn't always easy." Seras started and pushed her half-eaten plate away; she no longer felt hungry and focused all her attention on her friend. "When Myra was born, I didn't know how to handle both. Keep in mind I knew nothing about being a mother and I still don't know everything."

"Oh, you have to be joking now!" Weria snapped at her friend, but Seras wasn't going to let herself get interrupted.

"Being a mother isn't something you can read out of a book or something someone can teach you. It is a learning process and is different with each child. I can tell you for certain, that Isabella was a much easier baby than Myra. But back to what I was saying, it isn't easy being a mother and being a queen, even when the job is the same. You look after your kingdom the way you would a child." She then poured herself another glass of the amber liquor as well. "If you called me here to teach you how to be a mother, then I am sorry to inform you that there is no way I can teach you. I can give you advice and lend a helping hand here and there, but the rest is for you to discover."

Weria let out a heavy sigh and slumped a little in her chair. For a moment, the two queens sat in silence before a playful smirk grew on Seras's lips; in one quick motion, she got up from her seat, grabbed the bottle of plum liquor in one hand and her friend's hand in the other, and lead her out of the dining room. Weria was surprised about her friend's sudden change in mood but let her lead the way; soon they were in Weria's private bathroom and a hot bath was drawn for both of them.

"Certainly, a hot bath and a good bottle will lift your spirit and motivate you to try with your son. I know I can't handle this topic on a sober mind." Said Seras as she poured some green oil from a bottle into the water and the room filled with the scent of lavender, lemongrass, and peppermint. Within half an hour, the two queens were submerged in the steaming water and were passing the bottle between both of them.

"You have a point," said Weria as she swallowed another gulp of the liquor. "I do feel better already."

"Ah, the household remedies seem to work perfectly." Chuckled Seras as the took the half-empty bottle from her friend and helped herself to a sip. "Now to you. Are you sure it is your body that is unable to produce an heir? I mean, infertile men can still please a woman in bed."

With a frown that was comically overdone by the alcohol, Weria lifted her long, porcelain-doll leg out of the bathwater to examine the deep purple bruises on the inside of her thigh that ran up from her knee to her hip. "The doctors have said nothing about Zadan, so I have to assume that the problem lies with me."

"Has he even been tested?" asked Seras as she swallowed another sip of the liquor.

"Well, I assume he has. However, I am unsure how a man can be tested for something like that."

"Simple, have him sleep with another woman. If she gets pregnant, then we know for certain that the problem is with your body and not his." At this point, Weria was drunk enough to humor her friend instead of criticizing her.

"Zadan would never sleep with another woman. He is the most faithful man a woman can dream of. However, I have to admit; knowing he isn't going the share my bed with me tonight does put a weight off my chest. He can be so rough and methodical at times. Whenever he visits me, I know exactly what he is going to do, where he is going to touch me, and how long his visits last." Muttered Weria as she placed the bottle to her lips. Usually, she wasn't this open with her private matters to anyone, but it was something about sharing a bath with Seras that made it so easy.

"The way you describe him, I am surprised you haven't found a consort to spice up your love life. I heard the Queen of Morovia has a consort and that he fathered her son Orlan. If it worked for her, then it could work for you. Besides, another man might not treat you like a piece of meat like Zadan does."

"If Zadan doesn't have a consort than I won't either. Besides, I will not stoop myself so low as to have a child with another. I am married to Zadan and shall only bare Zadan's children." With that, Weria splashes the bathwater at her friend, who only giggled and returned the favor.

"I was only trying to help you." Chuckled Seras as Weria's assaults became too much for her to defend. "That is what I am here for anyway. You have a problem and I come up with ways to help you."

"Then stop drinking so much and give me good advice instead of voicing every perverse idea that pops into your mind!" Weria only joked and Seras laughed along, but Seras wasn't drunk enough to voice every thought she had. She knew what she was doing and how to play her part to achieve what she wanted. She wasn't a good queen for nothing.

XXXXX

The next day, the Prince was woken early and dragged out of the castle with the order to wear his old and ill-fitting undergarments. After a horrid night's sleep and weak breakfast, Phobos hardly understood what was being asked of him and why, but after everything that had happened, he wasn't going to complain or ask questions. He knew his father would still be angry with him for what he did want to risk getting another slap as he had; the bruise on his cheek had turned a deep blue and purple and, if he lightly scratched it, he could draw blood from it. As quick as lightning, he rushed out to meet with Cedric and Lord Xavier by the pond on the castle grounds. The day was cloudy, and there was a cool breeze continuously blowing from one direction or another, causing the underdressed Prince to shiver in his simple cotton shirt and pants. The moment he approached the two royals, the young Prince cringed and winced at the sight of his friend's arm in a sling. In a careful whimper, Phobos asked. "How is your arm?"

"I dislocated my shoulder." Replied Cedric and gently rubbed it with his free arm. "the doctor put it back into place, but I have to keep it rested for a while."

"I am sorry." Phobos stared, but Cedric only smiled and waved him off.

"It was an accident and I am not angry at you." This lifted a weight off Phobos's chest, and he managed a weak smile at his friend. All night, he had worried that Cedric would be too scared of him to continue their friendship.

"What happened with your cheek?" asked Cedric with a worried expression as he carefully poked at the bruise, only to have his friend wince at the mere touch.

"King Zadan hit me yesterday for getting you hurt and putting the princesses in danger. Queen Weria said he was just worried and that his emotions got the better of him. I am certain he didn't mean to hit me that hard." Replied Phobos and shielded his cheek from further touch. Before Cedric could respond, their short conversation was interrupted by Xavier calling them to the dock sticking into the pond. The wood of the dock was old, worn, soft from the years of being exposed to the water, and growing moss between separate planks. Everything about the structure told the young Prince to stay away; even the whisper in his head warned him to stay away from the pond.

Stay away.

Stay away from Lord Xavier.

Stay away from the pond.

Xavier is still angry with you about yesterday.

Say you are sick.

Say you can't participate in the lesson today.

There is no shame in taking a sick day.

Every word the voice spoke felt more and more urgent; it was almost begging him not to get near Lord Xavier. However, Phobos chose to ignore the warning voice in his head and approached the Lord with an uncertain feeling growing in his stomach. Seeing it was only him and Cedric with Xavier, Phobos looked up at his mentor and asked. "Where are Princess Myra and Isabella?"

"They are still under house arrest for disobeying. Personally, I would have them with us for this lesson, but their mother chose a different punishment for them. I am certain, by the end of the say, their fingers will burn from writing a hundred copies of the rules they were told before arriving." Replied Xavier without meeting the Prince's eyes.

"What is the lesson for today?" asked Cedric as he stared at the grey surface of the pond before them. He hadn't yet learned to swim and being unable to see the bottom of the water made him uneasy. Furthermore, with his arm in a sling, he wasn't sure how he was going to learn anytime soon.

"Today, you two will learn how to swim."

"Swim? In this weather?" Phobos asked, shocked and afraid at what his teacher just said.

"We could have learned it sooner had you not fooled around and wasted precious time. You know you'd eventually have to learn considering every soldier knows how to and it would be vital when serving your kingdom." Xavier reasoned as he gently ushered the children closer to the edge of the dock. Cautiously, the boys looked over the edge and saw their reflections in the murky water. At the Prince stared into the uncertain waters, the voice in his mind was screaming at him to stop attending the lesson and run from this place; however, his legs would not obey his mind. He wanted to obey the voice and run back to the castle, but his knees were frozen in place and his throat felt as dry as a desert so he couldn't even object to the Lord volunteering him to try first.

"T-then why are we on the dock?" the Prince managed to ask through his dry and shaking voice. "Wouldn't it make more sense to start on the shore and work our way up from there?"

"Nonsense," replied Xavier as he padded the young Prince on the back. "You shall learn the way I was taught. The way all Meridian children are taught."

Without another word or warning, Xavier grabbed the boy by the shoulders, lifted him off his feet, and threw him into the pond as far as he could. For a moment, Phobos felt as light as air; for a moment, he saw the grey sky above and feel the wind whistle in his ears before the murky water closed over him. Shocked from the cold water, Phobos was unable to move his limbs and kept sinking until his back touched the rocky bottom of the pond. All around him, seaweed swayed in the current of the pond as though it was performing a dance for the young royal and schools of silverlings swam around him as though he were a welcomed guest or an unseen specter. Everything was quiet and the only sound Phobos could hear was the steady beat of his heart that hadn't had the chance to quicken yet. For a moment, Phobos couldn't believe the peaceful and silent environment he found himself in; with such a wonderful surroundings, he didn't feel like he wanted to leave.

This peaceful serenity was shattered when the voice in his head shrieked at him that he needed air. It was because of that voice that he realized his lungs were burning for fresh air; he had barely taken a breath when he was thrown and now he could feel it. Frantically, the Prince clawed at the water around him in an attempt to get to the surface; for a moment it seemed to work as, through the murk, the glare of the sunlight became closer and closer. He was only an arm's length away from breaking the surface when he felt something tugging at his ankle. Glancing down, Phobos saw that a tuft of seaweed had wrapped around his leg and was keeping him from escaping. Never having been underwater, Phobos opened his mouth to call for help, expecting to hear his voice ring out; this hope was quickly crushed when his voice came out muffled and the little air in his lungs left him through a few large bubbles. Seeing his hope for rescue float away from him like feathers in a warm draft, Phobos let himself sink back to the bottom as a creeping dread that he had never left before began to crawl into his chest. It started with a freezing chill that started at his finger-tips and toes and crept up his limbs. Since he had never felt this before, he didn't know what to call it or where it came from until the voice whispered its name to him.

It is death.

You are drowning.

You are slowly dying.

This pond will become your watery grace.

You will never see your friends and family ever again and they will never see you again.

Slowly, his vision began to darken around the edges and his head felt heavy. He hadn't lived long and hadn't done much with his life; he didn't want to die like this. This was an awful way to die.


	16. Chapter 16

Stunned with shock and horror, Cedric stood on the dock and watched the spot where the water swallowed his friend. He couldn't swim well himself, only doggy paddle, but he knew his friend should emerge soon; at least he hoped. When the seconds ticked by and his friend didn't resurface, Cedric looked up at his father and ask. "Shouldn't we go in after him?"

"Give him time," replied Xavier in a calm voice and patted his son's head, "he will resurface. He has to."

"What if he doesn't?" asked Cedric, his worry growing more and more.

"He will." Was all Xavier replied with as a few meek bubbles rose to the surface where the Prince had vanished. A cold lump grew in Cedric's stomach and he knew something was horrible wrong, but he didn't know what to do; he hoped someone saw this and would step in. This was when he heard a voice in his head, a voice he had never heard before and it felt cold to him, but it spoke the truth that he didn't want to admit.

Your friend is in danger.

You have to save him.

Scream as loud as you can.

Now.

Taking the deepest breath, he ever had, Cedric screamed. He screamed so loud that it scared his father, rung in his ears, and shook his eyes to where his sight was blurred. He didn't even scream any words, he just let out this animalistic cry. He screamed and screamed, and screamed until he was certain his throat was bleeding. Luckily, his cries were heard.

XXXXX

In the Queen's study, Seras shot up from her seat next to Weria when she heard the scream. Looking out the window that faced the pond, she spotted Xavier and Cedric on the dock with Cedric screaming and pointing to a spot in the water where tiny bubbles were emerging from. A sickening feeling grew within her and, without thinking of her friend, she ran out of the study, leaving Weria to hurry after her. As if carried by invisible wings, she dashed down the stairs and out a door leading to the garden and the pond. Some primal part of her mind was telling her that a child was in danger and that she had to act fast. With her feet never stopping and the wind whistling in her ears, she ran across the lawn and through the shrubs, using the most direct way possible even when the thorns of the rose bushes scratched and tore at her skin. The moment she stepped foot onto the dock, a voice in her head told her what was wrong and why she was panicking like this. There stood Lord Xavier and his son Cedric, but where was Phobos?

With her heels on fire, Seras launched herself off the edge of the dock and into the cold, murky, water; her heavy skirts immediately drinking up the pond water like dying mules and weighing her down like heavy chains. At first, Seras couldn't see anything through the murk and silt; she could barely see her hands in front of her face. Blindly she reached out her hand and felt around; she knew the Prince was somewhere in this hellish water and she had to find him quickly before it was too late. She nearly let out a shriek when her hand it something hard, thin, and cold through the water. Either it was part of a dead tree or it was the hand of the Prince, she wouldn't know unless she looked harder.

With one hard pull, she floated closer. It was the Prince. In the dim light of the pond, his skin seemed as pale as the moon, his eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open; there didn't seem to remain a single ounce of life left in his little body. This close, she saw why the boy hadn't resurfaced on his own, there was a thick strand of seaweed wrapped around his ankle. Without thinking, she pulled the boy's little body close to her's and used as much strength from her legs as she could to fight the grip of the weed and the weight of her skirts; the weeds lost their grip on the child with an audible snap, allowing the two to slowly drift to the surface.

One moment they were surrounded by the murky pond water, the next cold and fresh air flooded Seras's lungs while Phobos remained limp in her arms. Swimming remained easy for Seras, but pulling herself and the boy out of the water and onto the dock, wasn't with the added weight of her water-logged clothes. Luckily Cedric helped the Queen by pulling Phobos from her arms so she could use both of her's to pull herself out of the water.

"Is he dead?" asked Cedric, his voice cracked and near tears when his friend didn't move; he couldn't understand what had happened and why his father would allow this to happen. Seeing his friend's limp, pale, blue-lipped body scared the young boy; the last time he saw a dead body was his mother's and she looked just like Phobos did.

"He isn't dead yet." Replied Seras with an exhausted gasp as she clawed her way over the Prince and pressed her ear against the boy's cold chest. For a second she remained frozen and feared for the worst when she didn't hear anything. Then, it happened. She heard a beat. His heart was still beating; it was weak, but it was there.

Doing as she remembered, she sat up and used her adrenaline-fueled strength to pump the boy's chest; she quietly prayed that she was fast enough to save him. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief when Phobos's eyes shot open, he rolled away from her, and threw-up the water previously occupying his lungs. Once he coughed up as much of the murky water as his strength allowed and swallowed as much fresh air as he could, he curled into a tight ball and began to sob. His nose stung, his lungs burned, his chest hurt, and he still felt the lingering fear of dying in his heart; it was like waking up from a nightmare during a frightening storm.

Before Seras could reach out to comfort the crying child, a blood-curdling scream broke the air. It was Queen Weria; she had run after Seras and finally managed to catch-up only to see her child wet and sobbing on the dirty dock. Runny as fast as her aching legs could, Weria dashed towards her child, fell to her knees, and cradled her soaked and sobbing child. Without opening his eyes or thinking of who was holding him, Phobos wrapped his arms around his mother and buried his face against her body, thankful for her warmth and protection.

Finally allowed to catch her breath, Seras stood up to her full height and glared down at Lord Xavier; the Lord felt a shiver run down his spine as though he was in the presence of a predator. With her cheeks turning red, her blue eyes remaining as cold as shards of ice, and she hissed a single word through her teeth. "Explain."

"K-King Zadan suggested I take the boys to the docks and teach them how to swim before the weather becomes too cold. I was teaching the Prince the way I was taught." The Lord felt his throat close as though the Queen had her hands wrapped around it and was squeezing it.

"And you didn't jump after the boy when he wasn't resurfacing because?" her voice remained cold and steady. All she had to do was wait for the Lord to dig his own grave.

"I thought he was pretending to drown-"

"YOU COULD HAVE KILLED MY SON!" Weria cried out, she had tightened her grip on her son and glared at Lord Xavier with such hatred that he was certain that, if looks could kill, he would have dropped dead.

"I did as I was ordered by the King. I never meant any harm." Xavier's voice was weak and he wished nothing more than to have the earth open up and swallow him.

"What Zadan ordered will be dealt with, but you should leave my sight before I have you thrown into the dungeon. The only reason I don't have you executed right on the spot is that I don't want to submit your son to that sight." Weria's voice was coldest Seras or anyone had ever heard and it sent a chill through the entire group. Without losing another thought over Xavier and her husband, Weria picked up her son and carried her sobbing child back to the castle, leaving Xavier and Cedric standing on the dock like petrified statues. Weria was walking so fast that Seras had trouble keeping up with her physically weaker friend; her calves burned, and her knees felt like gelatin, the adrenaline that had been fueling her the entire time finally dried up and left her feeling hollow.

Once inside the castle, Weria was torn between confronting her husband and tending to her son who was still sobbing in her arms. She didn't want to let her child out of her arms after almost losing him, but she had to confront her husband while the iron was hot and he couldn't deny his actions. At the same time, she didn't want her son to witness the argument since he had experienced enough stress for one day. With a heavy heart, Weria looked over her shoulder at her dearest friend.

"Seras, I have to talk with my husband and I don't want Phobos to hear it. Could you keep an eye on him until I return? I promise it won't be long." Seras was taken aback by her friend's calm voice and clear path of reasoning. Without a word, she nodded and held out her arms, waiting to receive the child. When Weria tried to pull her son off her to hand him to her friend, his grip tightened around her shoulders.

"No." he sobbed. He was shivering, and scared, and wanted nothing more than to feel warm and safe. He felt that if he let go of his mother, that he would be returned to the murky water that nearly became his grave.

"Phobos, I have to talk to the King. I'll be back before you know it. Besides, Seras will look after you; she will make sure that nothing will happen to you." Her voice was warm, soft, and comforting. When he still wouldn't let go, Weria collected her strength and pulled his hands off from her before quickly handing Phobos to Seras before he could take hold of her again. The child sobbed and begged Weria not to leave him, but Weria knew she had to. Not only did this matter needed to be discussed immediately, but Zadan was scheduled to travel to another country for a week tomorrow. Leaving her son to cry in her friend's arms, even if it hurt her heart, she turned her back on them and walked away.

"Please don't leave me alone." The Prince whimpered and immediately attached himself to Seras when he realized his mother wasn't going to take him with her. "I don't want to drown. I don't want to die."

"Hush little one. You won't die and I am here. Your mother just needs to do something and then she'll be back." Seras cued and gently stroked the boy's wet hair and rubbed his shivering back. Just as Seras was going to carry the Prince to his room, she saw her daughters approach them.

"Mama, we heard a scream. Is Phobos hurt?" asked Isabella as Myra stared at her cousin, more worried than she had ever been.

"Everything is going to be alright." Replied Seras, her main concern was on the child in her arms; her own were safe and she knew that. "There was just an incident when Phobos was learning how to swim. He is going to be alright, he just needs some warmth and rest. Please return to the library and finish copying the rules like I told you to. You may see your cousin afterward if he is awake."

The young Princesses nodded and slowly walked away, glancing back at them every few steps. Once she was certain her daughters had returned to the library, Seras carried the crying Prince to his room. Once there, she sat him on his bed and pulled him from her shoulders so she could look into his eyes; he had stopped sobbing, but a few stray tears still escaped his eyes. His cheeks were red, his head felt hot, and he was shaking so much that his teeth were chattering.

"Why did Lord Xavier do that?" asked Phobos, his voice sounded dry and cracked. Seras only brushed a few strands away from his face and smiled down at him.

"He was only trying to teach you the way he was taught. All Meridian children learn how to swim this way." Seras hoped that her lie sounded believable, she didn't need the child to fear every official he would come across in the future simply because one was rotten. "Now, how about we get you out of those wet clothes, clean you up, and get you cozy warm before you catch a cold?"

"I can do that myself." He sniffled and hopped off his bed, but Seras touched his shoulder to stop him.

"How about I pick out a warm change of clothes and you get washed. You'll feel better once you are clean and warm." Phobos didn't argue; he simply nodded and quietly walked to his washroom while Seras looked through his closet for something warm. The Ero Queen frowned when she saw the selection available. The young prince had many fancy clothes with heavy embroidery, but nothing that would keep him warm aside from a few jackets and cloaks; it made her wonder if he hadn't had the chance to switch from his summer to winter closet or if this was all he had. It made her wonder if this child even left the castle in the winter or if he was locked in all year.

That is when Seras took a glance around his room. Compared to her daughters, the Prince's seemed bare and cold. It was lavishly furnished with a desk, table, plump chairs, and a bed with heavy curtains, but there were no toys. The books on his desk and the nearby bookshelf seemed generic and barely touched. Where her daughters had paintings, boxes of toys, a rocking chair, dollhouses, and piles of drawings this boy had nothing. She didn't even see a stuffed animal or ball for the child to play with. In some way, this made the room feel cold. To Seras, it seemed more like the boy lived in a guest room than a room fit for a child. Then again, she should have expected this. She remembered Eric and how his room was just as bare when he lived.

Half satisfied, Seras pulled out a wool nightshirt and pants for the boy and carefully knocked on the bathroom door, hoping that she didn't spook the rattled child. After a moment, the door opened a tiny crack and the little boy peeked out at her; he was wrapped in a town and his hair was dripping wet. He seemed to shiver even more than before and Seras wondered if he had washed using cold water. She handed him the clothes and limply took them with a weak "Thank you."

After a few more minutes, the Prince emerged from the bathroom wearing the new change of clothes, and Seras bit the inside of her lip when she saw that the shirt was at least two sizes too big on his tiny frame and the pants only reached his knees. Seras winced internally when she saw the deep purple bruise on his ankle where the weeds hand held him down. Without a word exchanged between them, Seras led the boy to his bed and tucked him in; once he was tucked in and began to get warm Seras pulled a chair close to the bed and gently stroked his hair. Weakly the Prince asked, "Did you learn to swim like this too?"

"Yes, I learned just like you." Replied Seras a chucked to herself as she remembered. "My teacher was a shelf of a woman and flung me into the pond by my ankles."

"Did you almost drown?" his voice was a little stronger, but he was still careful with his choice of words.

"Yes, I did. For my first two attempts, I sank like a rock. It was only on my third that I realized I had to kick with my legs and use my arms to move the water around me."

"Were you ever caught in the weeds like me?" he asked and Seras's smile dropped.

"No, I hadn't had that happen to me. That was simply an unfortunate accident and it won't happen in the future."

"How are you so sure about that?" asked the Prince. His voice was even stronger, but it shook from the tears building in his eyes and an odd scratchy sensation. He was afraid that should e try again, that more weeds would grab hold of him and would die.

"If it settles your worries, I'll help teach you once you recover and the weather allows it. I did teach you mother." She forced a smile and whipped the tears from his eyes. "Your mother was terrified to learn after watching me getting flung into the pond. I taught my daughters too, so if you are uncomfortable learning from Xavier, I'll teach you."

"You would do that?" the Prince was surprised to hear this and could fathom a queen lowering herself enough to teach him anything. Wasn't that what Lords were for?

"As time permits I'll teach you anything you want to learn. I teach my daughters whenever I can." Replied Seras with a smile. Finally, Phobos allowed himself to relax and his eyes slowly shut; despite having barely done anything, his body felt drained of all its' energy and he was soon asleep.

XXXXX

Weria didn't have much luck with her endeavors. She managed to corner her husband in his private study while he was packing important documents, but he had no interest in arguing with her. Finally, Weria snapped. "Our son nearly died!"

"Did he die?" asked Zadan in a calm tone, never looking up from his papers.

"Obviously, he didn't because Seras saved him in the nick of time. It is clear that Lord Xavier isn't fit to teach the Prince. Under his care he managed to leave the castle grounds and nearly drown!" at this point, her voice cracked, and her cheeks were flushed red with anger.

"Weria, I am sure Lord Xavier is perfectly fit to handle the Prince. Phobos probably froze with surprise and both you and Queen Seras overreached. If we were to change tutors every time the Prince broke a rule or hurt himself, the kingdom would run out of teachers within one year." Replied Zadan and gently rubbed Weria's back before placing a quick kiss on her cheek. "Now, I have to prepare for my travels and you have to return to work. Give the Prince a few minutes to collect himself before he goes back to his lessons."

With that, Zadan left the room, leaving Weria standing there trying hard not to lash out and strangle him. She loved her husband, but he could be as dense as a brick sometimes. Then again, perhaps he was right. Neither she or Seras witnessed the full event; maybe Cedric got scared and Seras overreacted. She saw even less than Seras, so it could be the case that Phobos just froze and swallowed some water; for all she and Seras knew, Xavier was about to fish her son out of the water if Seras hadn't beaten him to it.

With a heavy sigh of defeat, Weria turned to search for Seras and her son. In the hallway where she left them, she found no one but the Lord's son. The boy looked scared, worried, and uncertain of where to go. When he spotted her, he immediately fell to his knees and clasped his hands together as in prayer.

"Your highness, I am begging for my father's forgiveness." The boy was holding back a flood of tears and his voice sounded horse from screaming. "I am begging. My father is all the family I have left in this world. I am certain he never meant to hurt the Prince. Please don't have him executed."

For a moment, Weria didn't understand what the boy was saying, but then she remembered the threats she uttered in the heat of the moment. She wasn't even fully aware at the time that she had threatened the Lord with execution. Still, she had to save face and appear emotionally stable to this child before her; she wanted nothing more than to apologize to Cedric and assure him that she didn't mean what she said earlier, but if she did that then how would he know when to take her threats seriously. In the most steady voice she could manage, she addressed the shaken child. "Since you pleaded for your father's forgiveness, I will consider it. I'll have the matter fully investigated and will come to a fair and just verdict. Rest assured that your father will likely keep his head on his shoulders, but any further lessons for the day are canceled."

At the news that his father will live, Cedric smiled up at the Queen as though she were a goddess. "Thank you, my Queen. Thank you a million times."

"No need to thank me until a verdict has fallen." Replied Weria and was about to head to her son's room when Cedric stopped her again.

"Forgive my asking, but may I ask now Prince Phobos is doing?" again, the child's eyes reflected all the worry in the world.

"He swallowed water and got a major fright, but I am sure he is going to be alright. He has to rest. I'll have you informed the moment I know more." Again, the boy smiled, thanked her, bowed, and ran from sight; probably to inform his father or the princesses of what she just told him. In a way, Weria thought it sweet of the boy to care so much for both his father and her son; surely, he would make an excellent Lord himself one day.

As she expected, she found her son and Seras in his room. Her son was asleep and Seras was on a chair beside him, stroking his hair. When she quietly entered, Seras turned and gave her a weak smile. In a hushed tone, she asked, "How did it go?"

"About as well as one could expect. Zadan is certain that Phobos was safe the entire time and that we overreacted." Replied Weria in an equally hushed tone. "How is he?"

"Seaweed got tangled around his ankle and he nearly drowned; she spat up a good lungful of water and just now got warm. Other than that, he is alright." Replied Seras and returned her attention to the sleeping child beside her.

"Are you certain about that?" without a word, Seras gently lifted the covers to show Weria the purple bruise on the Prince's ankle. Weria hissed in response and wanted nothing more than to cradle her sleeping baby. "What do you think I should do? I promised Cedric that I wouldn't have his father executed."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, this clearly was just an accident and it probably wouldn't happen again. Perhaps give Xavier a stern warning for not acting sooner. I offered to teach him if he is too scared to learn under Xavier. It shouldn't be too hard since he seems like an eager student and I managed to teach you how to swim."

With a sigh of relief, Weria wrapped her arms around her friend and watched her baby sleep soundly. "I can't thank you enough for saving him. I wouldn't know what to do without you. You might have saved the Escanor lineage today."

"I know without me, you would be completely lost." Replied Seras with a smile and patted her friend's hand.

With a giggle, Weria looked down at her friend and picked a piece of dirt from her friend's soaked and tangled hair. "Now, how about we leave the Prince to sleep while I treat you to a warm that. You are covered in pond scum and are starting to smell like an old fish."

"Add a bottle of that plum liquor and you have yourself a deal."

"You are trying to drink me out of house and home." Muttered Weria, but smiled none the less.

XXXXX

Author's Note: Sorry for the long gap between chapters. Being locked in my own house feels like a chore at this point. I still hope you guys enjoy reading the story. Before you should CHILD ABUSE let me say that both my mother and I learned how to swim by being tossed into that water like Phobos had. It wasn't great, but it did the job. This is not an excuse, but having a kid tossed into a body of water so it learns how to swim isn't something I pulled out of my ass. Again, stay healthy and safe.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day, Phobos awoke with a sore throat, heavy limbs, and a fever. At first, the scratching sensation in his throat was bearable; it was just a slight itching sensation and the fever was low. Since he was able to stand, he got out of bed and dressed himself for his daily lessons. Since the sky was a dark grey and the wind was whipping against the windows, which Phobos was glad for since it meant he and his friends would spend the day indoors. In the lecture hall, he quietly took his seat beside Cedric and Myra, all the while keeping his eyes downcast, he didn't want to face Lord Xavier, and lifting his head caused him discomfort. Once he was seated, Cedric looked at his friend with concern.

"Are you alright? You look pale today." He whispered, worried that his father was just outside the doors listening. Since his plea to the Queen, Xavier had ignored Cedric; not speaking a single word to his son that evening. In a way, Cedric was proud that he managed to help his friend but was also scared that he had displeased his father.

"I am alright," Phobos replied in a hoarse whisper that pained his throat. "I swallowed too much pond water."

"If you are sick, then you shouldn't be in class today; you'll just make it worse." Was Myra's response and placed a hand on her cousin's forehead. "You have a fever."

"I don't have a fever; your hands are just cold." Replied Phobos just as Xavier entered the room and took his place at the podium, causing the four children to go quiet. In a calm and regal tone as though the previous day's events had not happened, the Lord addressed his royal pupils.

"Since the weather won't allow us to make a second attempt at our swimming lessons, we will spend the day reviewing Meridian's history, our world's geography, and we will finish the day with a simple fencing lesson. Any questions before we begin?"

"What happened yesterday?" Asked Isabella with her hand raised in the polite manner she was taught. "Myra and I heard screams and mother and Phobos were soaked."

"There was a minor incident during the Prince's swimming lessons and Queen Seras intervened. Nothing to worry about." Replied Xavier in a dismissive tone before starting the lesson. Cedric couldn't believe his ears. Yesterday's event wasn't a minor incident, his friend nearly drowned. If it hadn't been for Queen Seras, then the Prince would be dead. It took everything within the boy not to snap at his father. All the while, the young Prince suffered in silence.

XXXXX

In the Queen's bed-chamber, Seras had locked the door and for privacy and carefully examined the blue and purple marks on Weria's thighs. Zadan hadn't left without another attempt to impregnate Weria, but all it did was cause the Queen more harm. Weria could barely move her legs, walk, or even sit without wincing in pain. Carefully, Seras touched one of the marks to test how tender the flesh was and Weria hissed in response.

"How bad is it, Seras?" Asked Weria weakly. She knew she should have asked a proper doctor to examine her, but she never felt comfortable having a man gaze upon her privates.

"Well, he did do a number on you. If you ask me, you should not sleep with your husband for a few weeks. Good thing he has gone to another kingdom for a while. That should give your body time to recover; at the very least the bruises will be gone. However, I highly advise against letting your husband enter your bed again like this. It isn't good for you." Replied Seras as she examined the swelling and applied a dab of cooling salve she brought with her from Ero.

"The kingdom needs a queen."

"And what queen would you be if you fell ill or died because of your husband's bedroom actions?" interrupted Seras as she examined her handy-work. "Your kingdom needs a queen, your husband needs a wife, and your son needs a mother. If you fall ill or died because of some tradition, then all would be for ruin."

"It isn't just tradition. It is the law of this land."

"A law that has been broken several times when the time called for it." Seras then cleaned her hands and looked down at her resting friend like a mother would to a sick child. "Weria, you take after your mother. You have always been sickly, and you barely survived giving birth to your son. If you want your kingdom to survive and thrive in an uncertain world like this, it will need its queen to be strong." Her eyes then softened when she saw tears beginning to form in her friend's eyes. "If you do conceive a second child, and that child happens to be a girl, I'll be more than happy to stand by your side. However, you shouldn't force yourself to have that child."

"Seras, you are right. I would be lost without you." Muttered Weria as she rested her head on the soft, silk, pillow and stretched her aching legs. "I guess I should give my body a rest. I can't have a child if my body is weak."

"Finally, you are speaking sense. I think that is enough cause for a celebration with plum liquor."

"You already finished a full bottle on your own last night. If too much sex with my husband is bad for your health, then too much bitter plum liquor is bad for you. Your daughters still need you, your husband needs you, and your kingdom needs you. Besides, unlike me, you have never been sickly and seem to have no difficulty conceiving children. Perhaps you'll bless your kingdom with another daughter or two." Weria said the last with a bit of bitterness. She made no secret of being jealous of her friend having birthed two daughters, but Seras never minded it.

"Oh please," chuckled Seras and shook her head dismissively. "I already have two; I don't exactly need another. What I do wish for is a son. My daughters adore their father. I have no doubt they love me, but daughters are babies of their father and sons are the babies of their mother. So far, that old saying has been true in my house and I bet it is true in yours."

For a moment, Weria lay silent in her bed and thought about her friend's words. She had no reference to draw from but her own experience. She tried to remember her parents and her relationship with them. Those memories were faded or likely inaccurate. However, she did remember her brother Eric. He was a strong boy with long hair the color of raven feathers and eyes of the deepest blue she ever saw. She barely remembered him as a person, she could only picture his image now, but she did remember him on stormy days curled on their mother's lap. When he was sad or injured, he would turn to their mother for comfort. On the day he died, the whole kingdom wept for him, but she remembered her mother carrying a hint of sadness within her until the day she died. In some way, Weria believed it was this sadness that eventually killed her mother. On the days the castle was filled with the bellowing cries of her mother, Weria huddled against her father for comfort or hid under the covers of her bed to drown out the noise. When her mother died after years of weeping for Eric and her father soon followed of a broken heart, Weria promised herself that she would never be like her mother.

Then again, she did remember how happy her life was when her brother was alive, and her mother didn't cry herself to sleep every night. The kingdom flourished, the people were happy, and there was never a dull moment at the castle when her, Seras, and Eric got into mischief. Perhaps, with some work, she could relive those simple days of happiness with her own son. Perhaps, some joy in her life would help her body become stronger and allow her to conceive a daughter for the kingdom. Then again, what would happen with her son once she had a daughter? Zadan would expect him to die like other princes of the past, but maybe Weria could avoid that fate for her son. She would just have to find a kingdom willing to have her son marry their daughter. However, those are all chickens that haven't hatched yet, so why worry when she should focus on herself and her recovery now.

"You might have a point," Muttered Weria with a heavy sigh, Seras saw the nostalgic glint in her a knew what her friend was thinking about.

"I miss Eric too. Barely a day goes by where I don't wonder what his life would be like hadn't he died."

"We shouldn't think of him." Replied Weria and rolled over so she wouldn't face her friend. "He is dead and gone."

"And yet we still think of him. I know you too remember all the fun we had as children. What do you think he would be if he had been allowed to live?"

"His death was an accident, Seras." Grumbled Weria, she didn't like how her friend was needling her old scares.

"Keep telling yourself that." Replied Seras and gently rubbed her friend's shoulder. "But deep down you know the truth."

XXXXX

In the classroom, Phobos barely managed to concentrate on the Lord's lecture on the discovery of the island kingdoms. By this point, his throat felt scorched and even the act of swallowing his saliva stung like needles. His eyes felt as though they were filled with led, his head drummed with pain, and he felt as though he was burning in his clothes. All the young boy wanted to do, was lay his head on his desk and sleep. However, despite the Lord's ignorance of the Prince's condition, the rest of the royals noticed and worried over their friend. When he noticed his friend's eyes creeping shut, Cedric raised his hand. "Lord Xavier, I think the Prince should see a doctor. He is barely able to keep his head up."

Xavier stopped his lecture and approached the Prince, who didn't bother gathering the energy to look at his teacher. "Your highness, do you find my lesson boring or is there another reason you are about to fall asleep?"

Feeling ashamed and wanting his teacher's approval, Phobos straightened his back and tried to speak through the pain in his throat. "Your lesson is not boring I am just tired."

His voice sounded as though it was coated in broken glass, but Xavier paid it no mind. Before his departure, Zadan had ordered Xavier to keep an eye on the boy, but not to take special care of him. Zadan was certain that Weria would expect a daughter by the end of the year; once a girl was born, the boy would be obsolete. Seeing the boy's behavior as an insult to his teaching method, Xavier scoffed. "Well, I know just the thing to get your blood pumping and keep you awake. We shall cut our lesson short for now and continue with fencing."

Internally, the Prince cried at the thought of being stuffed in one of the warm and protective jackets, but he didn't say anything for fear of being given an even harsher punishment. As the group moved from the lecture hall to the gymnasium, Phobos told himself that all he had to do was survive the day and then he could climb into his bed and rest. After cramming himself into one of the stiff jackets, and dawning the protective face gear, the boys were instructed to perform the necessary warm-up stretches but Phobos could barely keep his balance through the lunges and other movements. Finally, he was handed a saber and told to take his place in the center of the room; by then, his fever had reached a point where Phobos felt as though his skeleton was melting under his skin. Unable to keep his pose or even clearly see his opponent through hazy vision, Phobos pulled the mask from his face and gasped for air.

"Your highness put on your mask and complete your practice. Your actions are unacceptable." Snapped Lord Xavier, but Phobos couldn't hear him at this point; all he could hear was his own heartbeat and ragged breathing. Removing the mask didn't help his vision, he saw his friend Cedric in and out of focus; he swayed where he stood.

"Lord Xavier, he isn't well. Can't you see the awful state he is in?" cried Myra, no longer able to keep her mouth shut over her worries.

"Nonsense." Replied Xavier and approached the Prince. "He is just being fussy today. He is as healthy as a horse." Stated the Lord and patted the Prince on the back to prove the Princess she was wrong. However, the Lord's actions caused the Prince to fall to the floor where he was unable to pick himself up. The ground felt cool and comforting and the act of picking himself up from the ground felt too exhausting. He didn't even have the strength to listen as the Lord shouted for Cedric to fetch a doctor. All the Prince could do was breathe and let his led-heavy eyelids fall shut.

XXXX

In the Queen's private bed-chamber, Seras was handing Weria a cup of tea when the servant Fan burst into the room, panting heavily from running. "Queen Weria, the Prince has fallen ill!"

Faster than she thought possible, Weria sprung from her bed and wrapped a robe to cover her nightgown clad body; customs dictate that she scold the servant for seeing her outside of her royal garb, but she wasted no time on that; her son needed her. Improperly dressed, barefoot, and with pain throbbing between her legs the Queen ran across the castle to her son's room where she hopped her son would be; thankfully he was. She ran so fast that even Seras, who was the fasted of the two of them, struggled to keep up.

In the boy's room, the Prince lay on his bed fading in and out of consciousness while the royal physician was packing away his equipment with a sour frown on his face. The old doctor didn't even glance up at the Queen when she burst into the room. Before the Queen had the chance to ask a single question. "He is very ill, but I should be able to cure him. He needs rest and medicine; I guess a week of bed rest should be enough to give him the strength he requires to overcome this illness."

The doctor's voice was deep and soothing, usually, this would be enough for Weria to relax, but after everything that had happened in the past days there was little to that could calm her fried nerves. "What is he suffering from? Could it be the Purple Fever?"

"My Queen, rest assured that it isn't Purple Fever. I must remind you that I inoculated everyone in the castle against it. My prognoses is that the Prince is suffering from a severe cold brought about by yesterday's event. The pond is cold and dirty; if the Lord's accounts are right, then the cold is nothing I haven't defeated before. However, despite it being a simple cold that has grown out of hand, I can't allow the Prince to participate in any more lessons. Strick bed rest and medicine every four hours for the next week; no less. If I can't heal him, then I'll resign from my position."

The doctor always threatened to quit his job should he fail to heal the sick and injured royals, but he never failed so Weria never worried over the health of her family, but at that moment Weria was close to taking him up on his offer. While the doctor quietly dismissed himself to retrieve the medicine for the Prince, Weria approached the bed her son lay in; her own pains forgotten when she saw her son. His skin was pale, but his cheeks were a rosy pink; he looked so fragile yet strangely beautiful, like a carefully crafted porcelain doll. His breathing was slow and rattled in his chest, and his eyes appeared glassy whenever he opened them in his feverish slumber. Gently, Weria stroked her son's rosy cheek, but he didn't respond; he barely even uttered a groan to acknowledge that he had been touched. Like the doctor, Weria didn't acknowledge when Seras entered the room and stood beside the distraught Queen.

"How bad is it?" asked Seras in a hushed voice.

"The doctor said it is just a cold and that he should stay in bed for the next week to recover." Weria was surprised how hollow and ripped of emotion her voice sounded. "I have never seen him like this. What do I do?"

Gingerly, Seras held her friend close and rubbed her back to comfort the distraught Queen; her efforts to soften the Queen's feelings towards her son were working, but life made it difficult. All she could do right now was comfort and encourage her friend to be a mother to her son. "Pray and be there for him. The doctor knows what he is doing, and your son is going to be alright. By next week, he will be as strong and healthy as a horse, just wait and see. You have been sicker than him before and the doctor always managed to get you back on your feet."

"I know I won't get any help and comfort from Zadan, so will you stay by my side? I feel like I am beginning to fall apart."

"I have always been there for you, Weria, and I always will."


	18. Chapter 18

For the next three days, Phobos drifted in and out of consciousness; whenever he opened his eyes during the brief moments of wakefulness, his vision was blurred, and he couldn't tell who was hovering over his bed. He couldn't smell, taste, and whenever someone spoke around him the words were muffled, dull, and made no sense to him. His sleep was wracked with terrifying fever dreams that all circled around his death and were vivid enough that they forced him to wake. Whenever he awoke, he was greeted with a soothing voice and a cool hand on his hot head. Even in the rare instances that he awoke alone, he never felt lonely; the voice that he heard since the day he visited the hidden spring rang in his ears. Even when all the voices around him were contorted, this voice remained smooth and clear like the spring hidden under the dungeon.

Keep calm.

Recover.

You have to live.

All will be well.

It repeated these three phrases over and over like a nursery rhyme and eased his racing heart whenever his nightmares tormented him.

After the three days, he managed to keep his eyes open for longer than a few minutes, and his vision cleared enough for him to recognize his surroundings. He was in his bed, swaddled in blankets, and the light of the coming day was creeping in through the windows. He had no sense of time and was unsure how long he had been in bed; the last thing he remembered was his head hitting the cold floor of the gymnasium. With stiff joins and burning muscles, the young Prince forced the heavy blanket from his body and used the momentum of his swinging legs to sit up; when he did, the room spun, but he simply shut his eyes tight and waited for the world to stop spinning. Every bone in his body screamed and begged for him to lay down again, but he had to get out of bed and wash his face; his skin felt caked in old fever sweat; the sensation alone was enough to make the Prince wish he could crawl out of his skin.

With what energy remained in his arms, the Prince heaved himself off his bed, but his weak knees gave out from under him the moment his weight settled on them and he fell flat on his face. To his surprise, he realized he wasn't alone in his room; someone gasped near him and rushed over to pick him up off the floor. Within seconds, gentle hands placed him back on his bed and brushed his hair from his face; to his surprise, it was Queen Weria. From what his tear encrusted eyes could see, she looked awful; with dark circles under her eyes, a pale complexion, and a few strands of hair out of place she looked as though she had barely slept.

"What were you thinking, getting out of bed like that? You gave me a heart attack." She whispered in a soft but tired voice as she brushed the last strand of hair out of his face and left his forehead for his temperature.

"I wanted to wash my face, no need to worry." He croaked, his voice sounding like dry leaves scrapping on cobblestones. It hurt to speak, but he felt that he had to give an apology to his queen.

"Oh my boy, why didn't you ask?" with that, she left his side for a moment to fetch the washbowl and a clean cloth. After dampening the cloth, she gently patted the sweat from her son's face and dried tears from his eyes. Phobos simply lay on his bed and reveled in the sensation of the cold cloth against his skin. Once Weria was satisfied with her work, she smiled at her child and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Awful." Replied Phobos, wanting the cold cloth back but didn't have the strength to ask for it.

"Well, the doctor says you are over the worst of it. A few more days of rest and you'll be back to normal. I'll ask a servant to bring you something light to eat, have a bath prepared for you, and your friends can visit you later if you feel strong enough." Weria kept her voice low and gently stroked her son's hair to comfort him. Despite Seras comforting her and the other children trying their best to behave and keep out of her way, Weria barely slept in the past three days. She tried to eat and sleep, but it felt wrong so she barely managed any of it; the only time she felt at ease was with her son and being able to watch him breathe in his fitful sleep. For the first time since she gave birth to him, she felt the importance of his existence. "Does that sound like a plan?"

"If it is what you wish." The young Prince couldn't quite understand why Weria was by his bedside; she was the Queen and certainly must have more important things on her mind than his sickness. Without another word or question, Weria rang a servant and ordered them to bring the Prince a bowl of broth and some water. Once that was settled, she had another servant run a warm bath before returning to her son's bedside. To him, his queen's actions seemed alien; he had never spent this much time with her at once, and suspecting that she had stayed by his side during the worst part of his illness made him feel even more uncomfortable. Had he done something wrong? He couldn't remember. He remembered clinging onto her after being rescued from his near-drowning, but he had also clung to Queen Seras; he would have clung to anyone at that point. Was he being punished for showing a weakness?

As his fever-riddled mind worked to find an answer, Queen Seras quietly entered the room and approached the bed. In a calm voice that was barely above a whisper, she asked Weria "How is he doing?"

"You can ask him yourself; he is awake now." Replied Weria with a smile and gently took her son's hand. "Phobos, can you answer Seras how you are doing?"

"I feel awful." He croaked in response, still unsure of how to feel about the two queens watching over him.

"Well, we are all glad you are doing better. You had us all quite worried for a while." Seras's voice was as soft and soothing as honey and it helped ease Phobos's concerns. He hadn't broken any rules or had disappointed anyone; the Queen was worried about him. With a soft smile, Seras turned to Weria and said. "I think he should get washed before eating anything. He looks like needs one and it will awaken his appetite."

"I'll have a servant help-" Weria was cut off before she could finish.

"Weria, I have bathed both my daughters and have bathed my husband after his accident. I can teach you if you need it, but I think you should help your son and not a servant. He will have servants all his life, but he won't have you." With that reasoning, Weria couldn't argue. So far, Seras had been nothing but supportive and helpful. Her suggestions and advice did push Weria out of her comfort zone, but this was how their dynamic had always been and it rarely disadvantaged Weria.

"I can bath alone." Phobos objected, but Weria shook her head. If other mothers, even royals ones, cared for their children like this, then so should she.

"Phobos, you couldn't even stand on your own. Seras is right. Don't be shy, I gave birth to you." Replied Weria before pulling the blanket off her son and picking him up like he was still a baby. She was a little surprised to feel how light he was in her arms; she hadn't noticed when she carried him away from the pond because her mind was elsewhere, but was a little worried. As she carried her son away, Seras called after her.

"Remember to support his head so his neck doesn't bend backward too much." Weria chuckled a little at her friend's remark. Phobos was past the age where such support was necessary, but she still kept her friend's words in mind.

The bathroom was lavish, but Weria was surprised to see how little it was decorated. Compared to her's, her son's seemed common. The bathtub was cast iron, while her's was marble; the floor was cold and bare stone while her's was tiled and had carpets so her feet wouldn't get cold after stepping out of the warm bath; lastly, she had plenty of towels and products to choose from while her son only had one bottle of, what she guessed to be hair product, and a single towel. She had never thought about how her son lived and was appalled to see the difference. She froze and scanned the room for a moment; there wasn't a bathrobe or change of clothes in sight. What was she supposed to wrap around her son after his bath? After catching herself, she gently set her son on a wooden stool that stood beside the bathtub. "Wait here, I'll be right back with some warm clothes for you."

Phobos was a little disappointed when his mother took him out of her arms; she was soft, comfortable, warm, and had a pleasant smell that reminded him of tulips on a warm day, but he had no strength to argue and let his mother leave him alone long enough to undress himself and bath. He had been bathing on his own for as long as he could remember and didn't feel comfortable with someone watching over him.

When Weria returned to her son's room, she was once again baffled by Seras's actions; the Ero Queen was taking the sheets off her son's bed. "Umm, am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," replied Seras without taking her eyes off her task. "I am just helping your son recover. Your son should return to a bed reeking of sickness after his bath. I would have asked a servant, but they all seem to have evaporated since you gave your last orders. Did you threaten to bite their heads off or something?"

"I don't recall doing such a thing, but I'll make a note of it." Weria wasn't sure how to feel about what her friend just said. Sure, her nerves were fried beyond anything she had suffered through in years, but she couldn't recall sounding harsh or snappy to the servants. Then again, most servants tried to perform their work without being seen.

"Are you leaving your son to take a bath on his own or is there a reason you are back so soon?" asked Seras as she finished taking the sheets off the boy's bed and was rummaging through a truck at the foot of the boy's bed for new ones.

"There were no bathrobes or replacement clothes in the bathroom. I am a little shocked at this revelation; did you know about this?"

"I haven't known, but I am not surprised. Remember when Eric was alive? He barely had anything in his room, rarely got new clothes, and had no toys compared to us." Replied Seras as she kept on her task of fixing the bed. She didn't know why Weria was so surprised by the way her son was living; should the Meridian Queen know how boys are treated in the royal family?

"Well, I am not pleased with this revelation. I'll make a note to have that changed; I won't have my son live the same life my brother had." Proclaimed Weria as she examined the poor selection of warm clothes in her son's closet.

"It appears I have rubbed off on you Weria. I am just not sure if it is for the better or worse." Replied Seras with a chuckle, but Weria wasn't in the mood for laughter.

"In the days you have been with me, you have given my mind a lot to think about." Replied Weria as she inspected a long wool shirt that could work as a nightshirt. "My brother, though making the best of his short life, suffered immensely. I can't go on with my life, knowing how my son and only heir is living under my roof. Far too long have I held onto these ridiculous traditions, but you have poked enough holes into them that they sank life a wrecked ship."

"Well, I am glad you have come to that conclusion, but what if the stars align and you conceive a second child? Will you continue to be the mother you plan to be or will you revert to following the word of tradition?"

"If I haven't conceived a second child by now, I won't ever." Replied Weria before returning to the bathroom, only to find her son sitting in the bath. In the time she took to find him something to wear and speaking with Seras; her son managed to undress and settle into the bath, all without her help. Still, it was clear to see that the simple task of undressing and climbing into the tub was enough to drain the boy of the little energy he had managed to gather. Carefully, Weria approached the coughing and panting child laying in the tub and settled on the wooden stool she had sat him in before leaving. "I see you managed to get this far. Would you like some help washing your hair? I don't want you to fall unconscious in the bath and drown."

Though his mother's voice was soft and soothing, the mere mentioning of the word 'drowning' sent a cold chill down the boy's fever heated spine. Then again, he was certain that the Queen meant no harm and therefore let his mother use a small bowl to pour water over his head. Though Weria grimaced at the lukewarm temperature of the water, she was glad that her son was relaxing and enjoying the soft warmth of the water. Another part that seemed to help with her son's recovery was the medicinal herbs used to make the bathwater; however, the emerald green water could hide only so much from Weria's eyes and it worried her to see her son so thin. She expected active children to be lean but seeing her son's collarbone so well defined unnerved her.

"Phobos, are you getting enough to eat?" she asked cautiously as she poured another bowl of water over her son's head.

"Yes." Replied Phobos. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was deep and slow; he was enjoying the scent of the water and wished he had more baths like this. Usually, his baths consisted of cold water with no scent or color, so this was a rare treat for him.

"How much do you get to eat?" asked Weria in an attempt to rephrase her question. She was beginning to suspect that her son simply thought that his treatment was normal and had to reason to complain since he didn't know any different.

"Buttered toast in the morning, a sandwich at lunch, and one for dinner. Soup in the winter." Answered her son, wondering if he had the ability to purr like a cat to properly express how happy he was in the moment. Meanwhile, Weria was fighting with herself to keep a calm and collected demeanor in front of her son. That was nowhere near enough for a growing child. When she was a child, she and Seras had all the food and treats she could ever ask for and even Eric was given full plates at dinner; at least, that is what he told her when she asked him.

"Do you get any treats or sweets?"

"I get an apple with lunch." Was his answer; he wasn't quite sure why Weria was needling him over his diet, but he was willing to answer any question she had. "I don't like sweets. Ero sweets are gross."

"Yeah, they can be a little intense." Replied Weria with a chuckle before asking another question. She didn't really want to hear more but felt that she had to know more in order to find a way to fix his situation. "Are you ever left hungry?"

"Sometimes, but I just wait until dinner or breakfast." Replied Phobos as Weria busied herself with rubbing a smudge from her son's cheek.

"Would you ever like to have more to eat?"

"I am happy with what I get." He replied with a bright and innocent smile. His innocent smile and acceptance of his life pained Weria more than the realization that she was a bad mother. Here she had the child Seras always wished for and she had barely seen it grow and thrive. Was she this blinded by traditions and eagerness to please her citizens that she had completely neglected the gift the gods had given her? Maybe this was a sign from the gods that things had to change, and she had been too blind to see it this entire time until her friend talked some sense into her. Once her son was clean enough to her liking, she lifted him out of the water, dried him with a towel, and helped him into the long wool shirt that reached to his knees; all the while, Phobos held that sweet smile on his face despite feeling as though he could fall asleep on the cold bathroom floor. Despite all his shortcomings, Weria was glad to see the smile on her son and even felt an odd warmth in her chest that she hadn't felt before; it felt similar to the way that her friend Seras described the love to her daughter's felt like.

Carefully, she picked up her son and cradled him like a newborn as she carried him back to his freshly made bed.

XXXXX

While the Queens were busy taking care of the sick Prince and the royal children were busy with their academics, Lord Xavier stole himself from the lecture hall. He had kept track of the boy's sickness and recovery since the near-drowning as he was ordered by Zadan. At first, he had questioned why the King ordered him to teach the boy how to swim on a day that no sane person would dare to tread near water, as well as instructing him not to interfere should the boy struggle lest he wished trialed for treason. However, once the boy nearly drowned and then fell deathly ill, Xavier understood. Queen Weria hadn't even conceived a daughter yet and Zadan was trying to conform to tradition and get rid of the boy. As much as Xavier wanted to follow Meridian traditions and please his King, he didn't feel comfortable at putting his student's life in danger; he was a lord and a teacher, both careers devote him to protect the lives of those in his care. Still, King Zadan had many means to his disposal; being tried for treason and exiled from Meridian would be a light punishment compared to other things the King could do to him and his son.

Making sure he hadn't been seen, Xavier entered a door hidden behind a wall carpet that led to his private library. It was a small room without windows containing a desk, a candle, a chair, and three bookshelves stuffed to the brim with ancient tomes; on the best sat a crystal globe on a silk pillow. Despite being a Lord to Queen Weria, Xavier was always closer to Zadan since childhood and used this globe to communicate with Zadan whenever he was away from the Kingdom. Quietly, Xavier spoke the incantation that produced the connection between him and Zadan; within seconds, the image of the King came into view, who looked tired and annoyed that Xavier contacted him.

"Lord Xavier, I assume you bring me news as to the condition of my son?" asked Zadan, his voice monotone, and his expression annoyed.

"I did as you instructed, my King. Phobos nearly drowned in the pond, but Queen Seras saved him in the last moment."

"Is that so? Well, when do you plan on another attempt?" at this question, Xavier squirmed uncomfortably. He wasn't fully sure if he should tell Zadan the full story but thankfully knew what to mention and what to omit.

"The Prince was very ill for three days but is beginning to make a recovery. The doctor suspects he will be fully recovered in a few days, but by then it will be too cool for him to practice swimming. My King, I have a vague idea of what you are suggesting, but I can't condone it. He is still just a child. At least allow him to reach adolescence before he shuffles off this mortal coil." Replied Xavier, gathering every bit of courage to voice his opinion to the King. However, the icy glint in the King's eyes nearly choked any remaining words in his throat.

"Lord Xavier, you are speaking out of line here. I gave you instructions to follow and expect you to follow them to the letter. Now, since the boy is sick hid accidental death won't be too suspicious. I need you to follow my instructions exactly. You are to procure rat poison; I don't care if you have to make it yourself or pay someone to do it and keep them quiet. Then, bit by bit, feed it to him. Give it to him in the disguise of his medicine, mix it into his food, or mix it into his water; I don't care how you do it, but I need you to do it. He isn't important anyway, even if he is a prince." His voice never wavering or chancing as he explained the instructions to the boy's death.

"Zadan, he is just a child and your son, none the less. How can you speak so calmly over his death?" Xavier was appalled at how calmly the King spoke about the assassination of his only son.

"Xavier, he is a boy in a kingdom that doesn't value them and he isn't my son."


End file.
